tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/water-quality-2898/articlesWater quality – The Conversation2019-05-24T13:13:41Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1171362019-05-24T13:13:41Z2019-05-24T13:13:41ZRapid water quality tests better protect beachgoers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276231/original/file-20190523-187172-1qfh37m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fast tests can help keep people out of the water when it&#39;s unsafe, and let them back in sooner once the coast is clear.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Fisher</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Planning a trip to the beach? Along with looking forward to some summer fun, beachgoers may be thinking about the safety of their waterfront destination. Will the water be clean enough for swimming, surfing, wading and all the other ways people enjoy the nation’s shoreline?</p>
<p>Across the United States, county, city and <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3313_3681_3686_3730-11005--,00.html">state water quality managers</a> measure <a href="http://www.floridahealth.gov/%5C/environmental-health/beach-water-quality/index.html">levels of indicator bacteria</a> to <a href="https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/beaches/beach_water_quality/">gauge water quality</a>. When bacteria such as <em>E. coli</em> – used for monitoring freshwater beaches like the Great Lakes – and <em>Enterococcus</em> – used for marine beaches – are present, so might other dangerous bacteria and viruses that are trickier and more expensive to measure. </p>
<p>High levels of the indicator bacteria signal that microorganisms that are a concern to human health, such as <em>Salmonella</em> and norovirus, may also be in the water. Viruses and bacteria that can make you sick sometimes enter beach waters through <a href="https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-keeping-raw-sewage-and-contaminated-stormwater-out-our">stormwater runoff, accidental sewage spills</a> and even failing septic systems. When the numbers of <em>E. coli</em> or <em>Enterococcus</em> in water samples from the beach <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/rec-factsheet-2012.pdf">exceed a certain threshold value</a>, officials either post a sign advising the public not to swim, or close the beach altogether.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=385&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=385&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=385&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=483&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=483&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276229/original/file-20190523-187169-mvt81z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=483&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Elevated levels of indicator bacteria mean troublesome ones might be present too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Closed-Beach/354aaad8205a4f5a8dfac417ab3d244b/3/0">AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The system generally works well, but one serious current drawback is the time it takes to get the results after water samples are collected – nearly 24 hours. This means that if a beachgoer checks the reported water quality at her favorite beach on a Tuesday, the results she sees would be from a water sample collected on Monday morning. Even though water quality is generally good across the nations beaches, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/ttw2014.pdf">tens of thousands of advisories are issued each year</a>.</p>
<p>Water quality conditions can change rapidly at beaches because of tides, wind and storms, so 24 hours is a long time for the public to wait for accurate notification. Beach managers are looking for more rapid, cost-effective ways to stay on top of water quality. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aUmSzdMAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">I’m an environmental microbiologist</a> who’s developed and <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US8148511">patented one such solution</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/275996/original/file-20190523-187176-i8pp50.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author collects a water sample in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">UNC Chapel Hill</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Faster test, quicker results</h2>
<p>Here’s how it works. A user collects about a cup of the water of interest, and passes the sample through a filter about the size of a 50-cent piece that captures the bacteria. With the traditional methods, that filter would be placed in a petri dish specially formulated to help bacteria grow. The user would incubate the plate around 20 to 24 hours and then count the bacterial colonies that grew. He or she can then report those final concentrations and give an assessment of whether the water was clean or not – yesterday. </p>
<p>With the newer methods, including the versions I’ve developed, the operator places the same kind of filter in a tube. Instead of waiting for bacteria to grow, she purifies the DNA in the tube and adds a series of chemicals and enzymes. Then a machine performs quantitative polymerase chain reaction, a technique that copies the DNA many times over. Clinical laboratories have widely used this technology for over a decade to rapidly test for bacterial infections, influenza and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.</p>
<p>The qPCR machine heats and cools the sample, allowing the enzymes and chemicals to copy the DNA; one copy of <em>E. coli</em> DNA in the water sample becomes two, then four, then eight, then 16 and so on. Each incorporates a chemical that acts as a fluorescent tag in the new DNA strands. Then the machine can measure how much fluorescence is present in all the copies combined. The greater the fluorescence means more bacteria were in the original water sample.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276225/original/file-20190523-187143-1l91uri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Users receive visual read outs of the test results.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rachel Noble</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It only takes about 45 minutes to an hour to make these measurements, and the machine spits out an easy-to-use spreadsheet of the results. Overall, the water quality testing process takes only an hour or two, which is a big time savings.</p>
<p>In 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/rec-factsheet-2012.pdf">recommended the use of rapid methods</a> for beach water quality testing, but most of the methods released to date have been tedious and complicated. There has been a need to simplify the tests so that the rapid results can go directly to the water quality manager who determines if a beach has exceeded the recommended safety level or not.</p>
<h2>Rapid benefits at the beach</h2>
<p>Faster results allow the public to be knowledgeable of beach conditions that are more related to the timing of their visit.</p>
<p>Another important advantage is that rapid tests can be used immediately following a storm or accidental sewage overflow event to ensure that the water quality at the beach has returned to normal and recreation can resume.</p>
<p>Quicker results also allow beach managers to understand the conditions that typically drive the water quality at their beaches – things like river flows, stormwater inputs and wind mixing and direction. They can become adept issuing warnings during particular conditions that are frequently dangerous to public health.</p>
<p>Currently, some individual states – including Wisconsin, California and Hawaii – use the rapid methods. Despite the EPA promoting the use of these kinds of rapid tests that rely on analyzing DNA rather than waiting for bacteria to grow, though, their adoption has not been widespread. This is because most of the tests recommended to date have required technical ability and have been relatively expensive. </p>
<p>I’m currently <a href="https://biogx.com/products/water-quality/recreational-water-analysis/">collaborating with private industry</a> to try to make the rapid tests even faster and simpler to use. I’ve developed one rapid test for <em>E. coli</em> that’s good for freshwater beaches. Another version looks for <em>Enterococcus</em> bacteria and is used at marine beaches. Ultimately, my aim is to get these tests to be easily portable. Beach personnel such as lifeguards could do quick water sample collection and analysis, feeding the data by mobile phone to reporting websites.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=389&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=389&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=389&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=489&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=489&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276230/original/file-20190523-187176-1ag6k3g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=489&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Busy beaches have economic benefits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Fourth-of-July-New-York/06b73617f6ef4adbae6946015c187c1e/59/0">AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Beach water quality has an impact not only on the public, but on businesses dependent on beach visitation such as restaurants, shops, parking, rental vendors and snack bars. The use of the rapid testing approaches to ensure return to good water quality and reopening of a high-use beach with thousands of beachgoers each day can be a boon for beach economics, keeping restaurants and shops open and active.</p>
<p>But most importantly, fast water quality results would reduce the number of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6725a1.htm">illnesses associated with swimming at recreational beaches</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117136/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Noble works for UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences who patented the rapid tests described.</span></em></p>Traditional water quality test results tell you what was happening at the beach yesterday. More real-time answers can be a boon for public health.Rachel Noble, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1161192019-05-24T10:44:11Z2019-05-24T10:44:11ZWater stays in the pipes longer in shrinking cities – a challenge for public health<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276213/original/file-20190523-187157-5jamhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=450%2C84%2C2861%2C2093&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How long has that water already been in the system?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/drinking-water-flowing-fountain-9977686">mike.irwin/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The geographic locations where Americans live are shifting in ways that can negatively affect the quality of their drinking water. </p>
<p>Cities that experience long-term, persistent population decline are called <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Shrinking-Cities-Understanding-urban-decline-in-the-United-States/Weaver-Bagchi-Sen-Knight-Frazier/p/book/9781138601154">shrinking cities</a>. Although shrinking cities exist across the U.S., they are concentrated in the American Rust Belt and Northeast. Urban shrinkage can be bad for drinking water in two ways: through aging infrastructure and reduced water demand.</p>
<p><iframe id="Qg7N1" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Qg7N1/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Major federal and state investments in U.S. drinking water occurred after the World Wars and through the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/drinkingwatersrf/how-drinking-water-state-revolving-fund-works">Drinking Water State Revolving Fund</a> created by the 1996 amendments to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-safe-drinking-water-act">Safe Drinking Water Act</a>. Many of the pipes and treatment plants built with those funds are now <a href="https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Drinking-Water-Final.pdf">approaching or have exceeded the end of their expected lifespan</a>. Shrinking cities often don’t have the tax base to pay for maintenance and replacement needs. So the infrastructure, which is largely underground, out of sight and out of mind, deteriorates largely outside of the public eye.</p>
<p>Water systems are typically designed for growth, not shrinkage. Oversized water treatment and distribution systems are common in shrinking cities that experience less water demand than they did decades ago. Consequently, shrinking cities can have drinking water sit in their old and corroded distribution system pipes longer than desired. The water age, or time water spends in pipes from treatment to consumption, increases. As engineers, scientists and public health professionals, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qixoZO4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">we</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vtHjmu8AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">are</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uxN_efQAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">studying</a> the health effects of drinking water and concerned that not enough attention is being paid to what high water age can mean for public health. </p>
<h2>More time in the pipes</h2>
<p>In the early 2000s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a report about how <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/2007_05_18_disinfection_tcr_whitepaper_tcr_waterdistribution.pdf">high water age causes undesirable changes</a> in the chemical, microbiological and physical quality of drinking water. Examples of water quality factors that can deteriorate with increased water age include levels of disinfection byproducts, corrosion, microbial growth (including pathogens) and nitrate. Each of these factors can directly affect public health.</p>
<p>As an example, there’s been a major shift in the type of microbes that cause waterborne disease outbreaks in the U.S. since the EPA report was published. In 2002-2003, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/surveillance/pdf/ss5308.pdf">two-thirds of these outbreaks</a> involved bacteria that cause diarrhea, and approximately a quarter of outbreaks were due to pneumonia that can occur when vulnerable people breathe in contaminated water while showering, for instance. In the most recent report, covering 2011-2012, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/surveillance/pdf/mm6431.pdf">the statistics reversed</a>, with pneumonia (mostly due to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/about/history.html">Legionnaires’ Disease</a>) accounting for two-thirds of all outbreaks and 100% of all waterborne deaths during the monitoring period.</p>
<p>High water age contributes to low chlorine concentrations and corrosion, which can result in high levels of metals, such as iron. When these conditions occur during warmer summer months, growth of Legionnaires’ Disease bacteria increases. Low levels of disinfectant can also increase total bacteria in drinking water and support growth of some bacteria that can be unhealthy for the youngest, oldest and most ill consumers. </p>
<p>Importantly, routine monitoring of microbiological indicators in U.S. drinking waters hasn’t changed much since the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed in 1974. It still centers on detecting organisms that can cause diarrhea, not respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, and it is assumed that treatment methods that address the former will remove the latter. </p>
<p>Overall, there is still much that scientists do not know about the impact of water age on water quality conveyed through distribution systems and household pipes.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=407&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=407&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=407&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=512&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=512&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276214/original/file-20190523-187176-3khha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=512&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flint has become emblematic of shrinking cities’ water problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Flint-Water/2ae6991884b24081b6c2b70e458f16f4/7/0">AP Photo/Carlos Osorio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Individuals working on a societal problem</h2>
<p>This infrastructure crisis in water has contributed to a nationwide trust crisis. Polls show that the U.S. public is increasingly worried “a great deal” about polluted drinking water, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/207536/water-pollution-worries-highest-2001.aspx">up to 63% of Americans in 2016</a>, and it is the top concern among environmental factors that Americans care about. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-behind-the-flint-water-crisis-corrosion-of-pipes-erosion-of-trust-53776">problems in Flint, Michigan</a> have become notorious, but the condition of Flint’s water system is not unique. It’s a shrinking city that already had high water age before corrosive water was passed through its pipes. The corrosion event in 2014-2015 leached lead into drinking water delivered to consumers. Lead is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/leadinwater/default.htm">a potent neurotoxin</a> that is problematic for children’s developing brains.</p>
<p>As exemplified by Flint, lead remains in some pipes, solders and “lead-free” fixtures that are not actually free of lead. Schools and residents are increasingly turning to point-of-use filters where water is treated to remove lead just prior to leaving the faucet. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10934529.2019.1611141">While helpful</a>, these treatment options may not remove all contaminants of concern and may cause water quality to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09603120410001725595">deteriorate</a> if filters are not maintained.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=391&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=391&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=391&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=491&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=491&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/276215/original/file-20190523-187165-lrvyjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=491&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">School administrators and private citizens aren’t water quality experts but need to ensure their water is safe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Washington-Schools-Lead/968d282e50784dada95a58c2b104003f/6/0">AP Photo/Ted S. Warren</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Residents and school principals aren’t experts in water treatment, yet are forced to become more involved with ensuring good drinking water quality in buildings. This requires them to rely on utilities for information on water quality – and water age is not routinely considered. Utilities are increasingly trying to convey technical information that has a high level of scientific uncertainty around it. Requests for more openness create a communication challenge for utilities – and run counter to the high-security practices and mindsets put in place in the aftermath of 9/11.</p>
<p>Greater transparency requires greater trust between water officials, public health officials, community members and water experts. At the same time, officials serving shrinking cities need to provide safe drinking water for those consumers who remain.</p>
<p>Despite all its accomplishments, the Safe Drinking Water Act is an imperfect law. Simply relying upon and then communicating about a water quality parameter that “meets all regulatory standards” – as per the law – is an inadequate way to communicate about water quality, as you can see in Flint.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116119/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nancy Love receives funding from the National Science Foundation (Award No. 1632974) and the State of Michigan through a subcontract from Wayne State University. She is also a member of the Flint Technical Advisory Committee administered through Flint&#39;s City Hall, and appointed by Flint Mayor Karen Weaver to the Flint Water System Advisory Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Jackson served as a senior public health official at both the CDC and in California. Other than salary and prior service on public health and National Academies Committees, he has no conflicts to disclose. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shawn P. McElmurry has received funding related to this topic from the State of Michigan; National Science Foundation under award numbers 1832692 and 1633013; and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under award numbers R21 ES027199. He is also a member of the Flint Technical Advisory Committee administered through Flint&#39;s City Hall, and appointed by Flint Mayor Karen Weaver to the Flint Water System Advisory Council.</span></em></p>In many municipalities, aging water infrastructure is serving fewer people than it was built to accommodate. Out of sight has meant out of mind – but resulting changes in water quality may affect safety.Nancy Love, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of MichiganRichard Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los AngelesShawn P. McElmurry, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1081462019-01-16T15:42:26Z2019-01-16T15:42:26ZGanges: sewers could be making water quality of India's great river worse<p>The Ganges is a lifeline for millions of people who live within its catchment as a source of water, transport and food. During the Hindu pilgrimage known as Kumbh Mela the Ganges plays host to the largest human gathering on Earth as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-46860409">120m people</a> arrive to bathe in the river over 49 days.</p>
<p>Despite its tremendous spiritual significance, the Ganges is also notorious for having some of the most polluted water in the world. For 79% of the population of the Ganges catchment, their nearest river fails <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/39401">sewage pollution standards</a> for crop irrigation. Some 85% of the population live near water that isn’t safe for bathing and Allahabad – where Kumbh Mela takes place in 2019 – is one of those places. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135417308709#bib23">Our own research</a> suggests that as the number of people living in nearby cities increases, the problem with water quality in the Ganges worsens. Urban populations in the Ganges catchment contribute around 100 times more microbial pollution per head to the river than their rural counterparts. This means that untreated sewage discharged from a sewer appears worse for river water quality than sewage discharge where there are no sewers at all.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=337&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=337&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=337&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254113/original/file-20190116-163271-rqixs8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The waters of the Ganges catchment are vital for life here at Jahangira Island, but pollution is a health risk.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jackwickes/17336472895">Jack Wickes/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When we examined 10 years of water quality data we found that the concentration of faecal coliforms – a common pollution indicator found in human faeces – increased when the density of people living upstream increased. This makes sense: more people means more poo. </p>
<p>But we also found that people living in cities in India contribute more pollution <em>per person</em> than those in rural areas – how much more <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135417308709#bib23">depends on the population density</a>. A person living in an area in India with 1,000 people per km², a density similar to central London, contributes on average 100 times more pollution to the nearest river than they would in an area with 100 people per km² – say, rural Devon in the UK.</p>
<p>So why does it appear that a person living in an Indian city produces more sewage pollution than someone living in the countryside?</p>
<p>Of course, people in the cities are unlikely to actually contribute significantly more faeces than those in rural communities. Instead, it’s probably sewers that are to blame. In cities, extensive sewage networks efficiently flush sewage to the river, whereas in rural areas more people defecate in the open or in pit latrines. This means faeces in rural areas are less likely to be washed into the river and the bacteria and viruses they carry are more likely to die in situ.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=388&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=388&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=388&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=488&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=488&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254111/original/file-20190116-163274-he6aws.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=488&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Predicted sewage pollution across the Ganges catchment including Allahabad – the site of the Kumbh Mela.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://medium.com/@d.g.milledge/why-over-350-million-people-in-the-ganges-catchment-live-near-rivers-too-polluted-for-bathing-or-2eefd145087e">Milledge et al., 2018</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As the population density of a place increases, sewers become more common. Sewage removal is essential for the protection of public health, but without effective treatment, as is typically the case in the Ganges catchment, it comes at the cost of increased river pollution and waterborne diseases for people living downstream.</p>
<p>It’s therefore clear that water quality in the Ganges is a more complex and widespread problem than previously thought. We’d expected that cities, with their more advanced sewage management, would be better for the river. What we found was the opposite – more sewers without sewage treatment makes river pollution worse.</p>
<p>The urgency to invest, not only in sewers, but in the treatment of sewage has never been greater – especially in the most densely populated areas. However, the Western approach of taking all waste to a central treatment plant is expensive and so may not be the best solution. </p>
<p>Onsite treatment technologies such as <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/bill-gates-unveils-waterless-toilet-that-turns-human-waste-into-fertiliser-11546229">off-grid toilets</a> or <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-06/documents/mou-intro-paper-081712-pdf-adobe-acrobat-pro.pdf">decentralised treatment plants</a> are rapidly developing and may help improve river water quality sooner, enabling more and more people to celebrate Kumbh Mela safely.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108146/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Milledge receives funding from the NERC and the UK-India education research initiative. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Bunce receives funding from the EPSRC and Northumbrian Water Group.</span></em></p>Kumbh Mela is the world's largest congregation of people – so large, it's visible from space. However, river pollution is a major issue here and new solutions are needed.David Milledge, Research Fellow, Newcastle UniversityJoshua Bunce, Researcher in Environmental Engineering, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1076682018-12-04T17:53:15Z2018-12-04T17:53:15ZTo beat cholera, what is most needed is a reliable drinking water supply<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/247327/original/file-20181126-140507-1t1b0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=0%2C25%2C5760%2C3802&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The city of Uvira, in the South Kivu province, study site for new research on cholera. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/monusco/24887739354), [CC BY-SA](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">MONUSCO Photos / Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This article is co-authored by Aurélie Jeandron, Martin Leménager, Damien Machuel, Baron Bashige Rumedeka, Jaime Mufitini Saidi and Oliver Cumming.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>In fighting cholera, the international community usually favours responsive actions which have limited and short-term effectiveness. Such actions are often mobilised in responses to sudden epidemics, such as those in Yemen and Zimbabwe. However, there is a profound lack of evidence for how longer-term interventions, which are usually harder to achieve, can be delivered effectively.</p>
<p>New research addressing this gap is currently under way in the city of Uvira, South Kivu, DRC, to provide evidence for improving the supply of safe drinking water as a public health priority.</p>
<h2>A critical issue in guiding the public fight against cholera</h2>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cholera">World Health Organisation</a> (WHO), diarrhoeal diseases relating to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene cause over 1,000 deaths a day in Africa. And, every year, cholera alone accounts for the deaths of 100,000 to 120,000 people.</p>
<p>Yet, the debate as to what is the most efficient way to prevent and control cholera persists. Some favour a focus on rapid short-term responses, where the cost of interventions is relatively low – home chlorination/filtration kits, the distribution of small quantities of water intended exclusively for drinking, raising hygiene awareness, etc. Moreover, oral cholera vaccines (OCV) are increasingly presented as a priority. There are many new OCV studies that have attracted substantial attention; but, while the findings are generally positive, the effectiveness of these vaccines can be limited and short-lived.</p>
<p>To date though there has been limited rigorous research to evaluate the effectiveness of investment in drinking water supply infrastructure to prevent cholera. There are two reasons behind this: on the one hand, the cholera disease burden is concentrated in low income settings, many of which are affected by political instability, where building and maintaining largescale public health infrastructure is challenging.</p>
<p>On the other hand, public health research increasingly values experimental trials which require a random allocation of treatment and control groups. Whilst pills or awareness-raising sessions can be randomly allocated with relative ease, doing this with piped water connections presents various logistical and ethical challenges. At a time when the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/j.polsoc.2010.03.001">evidence-based policy</a> paradigm reigns supreme (requiring that public investment decisions be founded upon high quality scientific evidence), these challenges may discourage national and international investment in preventive actions as we lack strong scientific evaluations of their effectiveness.</p>
<p>Changes in attitude are evident. The humanitarian sector is increasingly committed to the urgency-reconstruction-development continuum. One example in DRC is the <a href="https://www.solidarites.org/en/countries/d-r-congo/manifest-eliminate-cholera-drc/?noredirect=en_GB">“Manifesto to Finally Eradicate Cholera in DRC”</a> launched by the NGO, Solidarités International, in April 2018, and in posts published in such blogs as <a href="https://defishumanitaires.com/2018/03/09/contre-le-cholera-que-faire/https:/defishumanitaires.com/2018/03/09/contre-le-cholera-que-faire/">défishumanitaires</a>. And, in late 2017, the WHO launched a new <a href="http://www.who.int/cholera/publications/global-roadmap/en/">global roadmap to eliminate cholera by 2030</a> that calls for a global inter-sectoral response to cholera.</p>
<h2>Uvira: new results that challenging some preconceptions about cholera</h2>
<p>Cholera is endemic in the city of Uvira, located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, and is often presented as one of the starting points for the epidemic outbreaks affecting this region of DRC. Supported by the <a href="https://www.afd.fr/fr/un-meilleur-acces-leau-potable-pour-lutter-contre-le-cholera">French Development Agency</a>, the <a href="https://www.fondation.veolia.com/en/long-term-program-combat-cholera-3">Veolia Foundation</a>, the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/projects/eau-contre-cholera-uvira-par-lamelioration-de-lacces-leau-potable-et-lhygiene_fr">European Union</a> and OXFAM Great Britain, a project to rehabilitate Uvira’s drinking water supply network has provided a unique opportunity to perform a rigorous health impact evaluation of this investment.</p>
<p>This city of 250,000 lies between a lake and mountains which surround it. Residents suffering from acute diarrhoea seek help at cholera treatment centres (CTC) managed by the general hospital.</p>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-310" class="tc-infographic" height="400px" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/310/9d10da96112f37637911b1417644bb799d7bfe1e/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>With help from the national water company (Regideso) and the Congolese Ministry of Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has exploited the building works schedule for this water supply network improvement works to design a pragmatic but rigorous evaluation. The assessment relies on a “stepped wedge” trial based on the randomised rollout of the improved water supply network to understand both the impact on cholera and how behaviours change when drinking water sources are closer and run continuously. The assessment also includes a time-space analysis to measure the impact on cholera incidence, as well as a biomolecular sub-study to assess the causes of acute diarrhoea among patients attending the CTCs and to gain insights into the transmission pathways for these diseases.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=186&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=186&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=186&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=233&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=233&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243900/original/file-20181105-83654-1pxqyr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=233&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chronological series showing the volume of drinking water produced for the Uvira distribution network (bottom left hand corner), the number of cholera cases admitted in the city (top left hand corner) and the statistical relation between both (right).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201306">Jeandron A. et al. (2018)</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Initial findings have already been published in well-respected peer-reviewed scientific journals (<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001893">PLOS Medicine</a> and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201306">PLOS ONE</a>). One article demonstrates that 23% of cholera cases in the city were caused by interruptions in water supply, and that hygiene habits in this population are diverse and directly related to both the type of water connection and continuity of service households have. Another article, used rapid diagnostic tests to confirm cholera infection among CTC patients and found that 40% of suspected cholera cases were actually positive. This finding demonstrates the high burden of other acute diarrhoeal diseases and the need for comprehensive strategies which can address both cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.</p>
<h2>The research continues despite challenging conditions</h2>
<p>Forthcoming findings should help to assess the relative health benefits of different levels of water supply connections and improved continuity of water supply; for example, between after a shared standpipe and an individual household connection. Molecular biology will help to better understand the ways in which cholera spreads, as well as to understand the other causes of acute diarrhoea that affect this population.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the political situation remains volatile in DRC as a whole and in South Kivu, in particular, and security issues continue to affect the works schedule. Against such a difficult backdrop, it is important to remember that this project continues due to the determination of the women and men who, in these very challenging conditions and with limited resources, continue to collect samples, conduct surveys and work to improve the water supply infrastructure. They are to be praised for their commitment to improving public health.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This text is part of a series of articles about public health, the central theme at the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) symposium, held in Brussels on November 6 and 7, with more than 150 individuals and organisations: universities, government representatives, national agency representatives and public health policy experts from the French-speaking world.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107668/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Florent Bédécarrats works in the evaluation division of the French Development Agency. In particular, it is responsible for organising and monitoring impact assessments carried out by researchers. The activity of the evaluation division is supervised by an Evaluation Committee, chaired by an independent person and bringing together representatives of the State, researchers and a representative of civil society organisations.</span></em></p>In the fight against cholera, new research in the DRC suggests that the rehabilitation of water networks would be more sustainable than other interventions whose effectiveness is debatable.Florent Bédécarrats, Chercheur, spécialiste de l'évaluation de projets et politiques, Agence française de développement (AFD)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1073452018-11-22T23:05:06Z2018-11-22T23:05:06ZScrapping environmental watchdog is like shooting the messenger<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246940/original/file-20181122-182062-1twlg1k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ontario Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe released her annual environmental report on Nov. 13, 2018. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Buried deep within the <a href="https://www.ola.org/sites/default/files/node-files/bill/document/pdf/2018/2018-11/b057_e.pdf">massive omnibus bill (Bill 57)</a> tabled by Ontario’s government last week were a series of provisions significantly curtailing the power of the province’s environmental watchdog.</p>
<p>With its release of the Fall Economic Statement, Premier Doug Ford’s government announced the role of Ontario’s environmental commissioner would be folded into the Office of the Auditor General. On the surface this may sound like a bit of administrative housekeeping, but the implications for Ontario’s environment — and the health and safety of its residents — are potentially significant.</p>
<p>The environmental commissioner’s office was created in 1994 through the province’s <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/93e28">Environmental Bill of Rights</a>. The commissioner was an officer of the Legislative Assembly, who reported directly to the members of provincial parliament, not the government. The intention was to provide an independent and authoritative voice that reported annually on the implementation of the bill and province’s <a href="https://eco.on.ca/our-reports/environmental-protection/">environmental performance</a>. </p>
<p>Over the years, the commissioner’s mandate expanded to include additional annual reports on the province’s progress combating <a href="https://eco.on.ca/our-reports/climate-change/">climate change</a> and improving the <a href="https://eco.on.ca/our-reports/energy/">energy efficiency</a> of homes and businesses.</p>
<h2>A vital watchdog</h2>
<p>These yearly reports were honest and detailed assessments of the province’s environmental performance. They regularly caused the provincial government discomfort, <a href="https://eco.on.ca/our-reports/environmental-protection/">no matter who was in power</a>. </p>
<p>Crucially, the reports highlighted emerging problems and gaps that needed to be addressed before they reached crisis proportions. For example, the commissioner’s reports <a href="http://docs.assets.eco.on.ca/reports/environmental-protection/1996/1996-AR.pdf">flagged breakdowns</a> in the province’s drinking water safety system in the lead up to the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/inside-walkerton-canada-s-worst-ever-e-coli-contamination-1.887200">Walkerton, Ont., drinking water disaster</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=484&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=484&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=484&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=608&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=608&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246939/original/file-20181122-182059-15ts52p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=608&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Five-year-old Tamara Smith is evacuated by helicopter from Walkerton, Ont. on May 25, 2000. The water supply, contaminated with E. coli, sickened more than 2,000 people and caused six deaths.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CP PHOTO/Kevin Frayer)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When Environmental Commissioner Dianne Saxe <a href="https://docs.assets.eco.on.ca/reports/environmental-protection/2018/Back-to-Basics.pdf">released her annual report</a> last week, it emphasized the province’s ongoing failure to deal with water pollution. </p>
<p>The commissioner criticized the government for its inaction on addressing pollution from agricultural operations, combined overflows of stormwater and sewage, and the lack of source water protection for one-fifth of the province’s population. Saxe also stressed the need for better monitoring of the health of wildlife and for improved protection of the province’s forests and wetlands.</p>
<p>Under the Ford government’s proposed legislation, the environmental commissioner’s role would be downgraded from that of an independent officer of the legislature to a mere “employee” of the auditor general. The proposed shift could eliminate the commissioner’s independence to pursue, identify and report on the provinces’ most pressing environmental issues. </p>
<p>Importantly, the legislation also significantly curtails the commissioner’s opportunities to report to the legislature and the public.</p>
<h2>Shooting the messenger</h2>
<p>Currently, the commissioner provides three major reports per year, dealing with environmental protection, climate change and energy efficiency. These reports are highly detailed, in-depth, evidence-based, multi-volume assessments. <a href="https://eco.on.ca/our-reports/special-reports/">Special reports</a> can also be issued in relation to pressing issues.</p>
<p>Under the proposed legislation, the commissioner would be limited to a single report per year. Even that report could be folded into the auditor general’s regular annual report, potentially reducing the environmental commissioner’s assessments to a few pages. This would not provide detailed pictures of the province’s performance and needs. </p>
<p>The move would also reduce commissioner’s role in overseeing the operation of the Environmental Bill of Rights. This could curb Ontarians’ ability to ask for new environmental laws and regulations, changes to existing ones or investigations into potential violations.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/doug-fords-energy-shake-up-could-cost-ontario-100436">Doug Ford's energy shake-up could cost Ontario</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The government’s move looks suspiciously like a case of shooting the messenger, bringing news Ford did not want to hear. </p>
<h2>Goodbye oversight, science and evidence?</h2>
<p>This heavy-handed approach will not make Ontario’s environmental problems go away. If anything it will leave the government, whose <a href="http://angusreid.org/carbon-pricing-rebate/">grasp of environmental issues</a> is shaky, even less capable of addressing these challenges. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/who-needs-science-advice-anyway-governments-for-one-99500">Who needs science advice anyway? Governments, for one</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://eco.on.ca/our-reports/environmental-protection/">The commissioners’ reports</a> have provided vital early warnings of threats to the environment, health and safety of Ontario residents, and have informed and enhanced the ability of the province to respond to these problems.</p>
<p>If the government is serious in its claims that its intention is to enhance accountability and transparency, it must withdraw the provisions of Bill 57 that downgrade the Office of the Environmental Commissioner. Otherwise the government will again be left looking far too quick to attack independent oversight, science and evidence-based decision-making.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107345/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Winfield receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the George Cedric Metcalf Foundation..
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Faisal Moola receives funding from George Cedric Metcalf Foundation, The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Grizzly Bear Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheila R. Colla does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to downgrade Ontario’s environmental watchdog is bad news for the environment, public health and safety, and evidence-based decision-making.Mark Winfield, Professor of Environmental Studies, York University, CanadaFaisal Moola, Associate professor, Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of GuelphSheila R. Colla, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1039662018-10-23T22:39:38Z2018-10-23T22:39:38ZSoot-filled rivers mark the need for a national wildfire strategy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241311/original/file-20181018-67173-oz6nht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black water cascaded down Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta after a 2018 wildfire denuded the landscape. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Kaleigh Watson)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the record-breaking 2018 fire season, the typically clear waters of Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta flowed black. But it had nothing to do with the extensive fires that torched much of British Columbia and a small part of Waterton. </p>
<p>The carbon came from the remnants of another wildfire that had raced 26 kilometres — from one end of the park to the other — in less than eight hours the year before. Heavy rain from a violent thunderstorm in July 2018 flushed the ash, soot and blackened debris that lay on the forest floor into the Cameron River.</p>
<p>Waterton officials, concerned about the impact of the fire on drinking water and the river’s aquatic species, brought in <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/agriculture-life-environment-sciences/about-us/contact-us/facultylecturer-directory/uldis-silins">University of Alberta forest hydrologist Uldis Silins</a> to monitor water quality in the park over the coming years. </p>
<p>I was fortunate to spend some time in the field with Silins in Waterton and in the Castle Crown Wilderness, where the water quality has still not fully recovered from <a href="https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/with-memories-of-2003-blaze-still-fresh-bone-dry-crowsnest-pass-is-on-edge">the 2003 Lost Creek fire in Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass</a>.</p>
<p>What I learned from those trips and from several others that I recently made to fire-scarred watersheds in British Columbia, Alberta, California, Montana and elsewhere is that wildfire’s impact on water quality is just as sobering as its impact on public safety, air quality and the forest industry. </p>
<p>What we don’t know — and what we’re not prepared for — is frightening and underscores yet again the need for a multi-disciplinary national wildfire strategy that involves the federal government, the provinces and municipalities, universities, First Nations and the business community.</p>
<h2>Charred watersheds</h2>
<p>Fire often removes a lot of trees in a watershed. The soils in these denuded landscapes can bake in the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr115.pdf">hot, drought conditions that sometimes follow a fire as it did in Colorado in 2002 following the Hayman Fire, one of the biggest to burn in the state up until that time</a>. Some spring-fed streams stop flowing, and the soils can become impenetrable to water.</p>
<p>Fire can <a href="https://forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu/smp/solo/documents/GTRs/INT_280/DeBano_INT-280.php">vaporize chemicals in the trees and drive them into the soil</a>. As they condense, they form an impervious layer just below the surface. Hydrophobic is the word that geologists use to describe such soils.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=389&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=389&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=389&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=489&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=489&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241902/original/file-20181023-169834-qvxaso.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=489&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down hills after a wildfire stripped them of vegetation in Southern California in 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Without trees, vegetation and a stable soil structure to absorb the heavy rains that may follow a fire, tonnes of ash, debris, heavy metals, sediments and nutrients are flushed through the watershed. </p>
<p>Periodic flushes of this wildfire-generated material can overwhelm fish and aquatic life. <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2012/05/14/south-platte-river-bounces-back-for-fly-fishing-after-hayman-fire/">It took a decade for the world-class South Platte trout fishery to recover from the effects of the 2002 Hayman fire in Colorado</a>. It may be happening now to some salmon spawning streams in B.C.</p>
<p>These flushes of wildfire-generated carbon, sediment and nutrients can also overwhelm water treatment facilities.</p>
<p>That’s what <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/wildfires-have-major-impact-on-waterquality/article30512613/">happened in Fort McMurray following the 2016 Horse River fire</a>. The town has <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-water-treatment-costs-contaminants-1.3973249">spent more than $2.5 million dredging its raw and untreated water storage reservoirs</a> to decrease the risks associated with post-fire algal blooms that are more likely after severe wildfire. </p>
<p>According to <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/civil-environmental-engineering/profile/mbemelko">Monica Emelko, a University of Waterloo engineer</a> who works with Silins on various fire-related research projects, including one related to Fort McMurray, these blooms have the potential to lead to service disruptions, especially if they produce toxins.</p>
<h2>Water alert</h2>
<p>It could have been a lot worse. </p>
<p>In the past 16 years, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0172">fires have denuded the landscapes around the watersheds serving Denver and Fort Collins, in Colorado, and Canberra and Melbourne, in Australia</a>.</p>
<p>The 300,000 people living in Fort Collins were prohibited from drawing on their traditional water supply for more than three months. Denver spent US$26 million hiring 60 scientists and planting 175,000 trees to deal with its water problem. Canberra was forced to build a new water treatment plant. </p>
<p>This should be a wake-up call for the federal government, the provinces and municipalities, which are responsible for the quality of the water in national and provincial parks, towns and cities and on First Nations reserves. </p>
<p>Most of the country <a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/canada/conservation-protection/13207">depends on water that is stored and filtered in forests</a>. Some provinces, such as British Columbia, <a href="https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/lmh/Lmh66/Lmh66_ch12.pdf">draw as much as 80 per cent of their water from forested watersheds</a>. In many places, the quality of that water is already being degraded by drought, pollution, climate change, agriculture and urban development.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241903/original/file-20181023-169831-gi8l1i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wildfires can denude the landscape of trees, shrubs and other plants.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Groundwater may be keeping the surface water cool and clean in places where burned watersheds are now more exposed to the warming effects of the sun, such as in Lost Creek and, hopefully, in Waterton National Park. But we don’t know how long this may last, because we have not adequately mapped out, evaluated and diligently protected our underground aquifers. Instead, <a href="http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2017/11/27/protests-continue-over-nestle-pumping-and-sale-of-ground-water/">we’re selling groundwater at rock bottom prices to companies like Nestle</a>.</p>
<h2>Rivers under stress</h2>
<p>Wildfire isn’t all bad for watersheds. It can add food to nutrient-deprived rivers and lakes, and <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/49900">transport the sediments that salmon and trout need to build their nests</a>. </p>
<p>But the prospects of more fires burning bigger and more often is bound to further degrade water flowing in and out of our forests. Investing in water treatment facilities and training people to run them, as the <a href="https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1466537196019/1466537216230">federal government promises to in First Nations communities</a>, is only part of the answer. </p>
<p>It’s time to connect the dots. There are 25 major watersheds in Canada. We know little about their flow, the fish and aquatic life that dwell in them because there is, as <a href="http://watershedreports.wwf.ca/#canada/by/threat-overall/threat">the World Wildlife Fund recently pointed out in a comprehensive report</a>, no centralized or systematic method in place to monitor them. </p>
<p>What we do know about highly stressed rivers is that they are losing water too fast. The rivers in the South Saskatchewan watershed, for example, won’t have enough water in them by 2030 to supply the needs for more than half of the communities in the region without significant conservation measures. We are increasingly seeing the threat of serious water shortages in many other parts of the country. </p>
<h2>How bad could it get?</h2>
<p>Sometime soon, we’re going to have <a href="http://www.meteo.mcgill.ca/dri/Presentations/pomeroy_droughtclimatevariability.pdf">another severe, cross-country drought like the one that started in 1999 and ended in 2004</a>. I described the impacts in <a href="https://www.cbu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/POWI-UndergroundIntelligence-Struzik-June25.pdf">a report for the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy</a>. </p>
<p>At the height of the drought, thirty-two massive dust storms swept across the prairies. Forest fires ignited at five times the ten-year average. Thousands of prairie ponds (or sloughs as they are called in the west) dried up, and tens of thousands of waterfowl were unable to find suitable wetlands in which to nest. </p>
<p>During the summer of 2001, irrigation districts in southern Alberta were literally put on rations. On average, they were allocated only 60 per cent of the water they traditionally received.</p>
<p>The 2001 and 2002 droughts dried up virtually every part of the country. Vancouver recorded its second-lowest amount of rainfall and snowfall since its earliest days of record-keeping in 1900, and Canada’s west coast hit a 101-year low. Atlantic Canada had its third-driest summer ever. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=716&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=716&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=716&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=899&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=899&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/241924/original/file-20181023-169831-1cziu9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=899&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ontario farmers donated hay to drought-striken farmers in western Canada in 2002.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(CP PHOTO/Adrian Wyld)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the first time in a quarter century, <a href="http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/programs-and-services/drought-watch/managing-agroclimate-risk/lessons-learned-from-the-canadian-drought-years-2001-and-2002/?id=1463593613430">farmers across Canada reported negative or zero net-farm incomes</a>. Over 41,000 jobs were lost. The GDP took a $5.8 billion hit.</p>
<p>David Phillips, Canada’s most famous climatologist, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/drought-from-coast-to-coast/article4151641/">described the drought as “un-Canadian</a>,” because the weather that produced it was almost tropical. </p>
<p>When another drought like that settles in, there will be less water in our watersheds, <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0629/Colorado-wildfire-Have-we-learned-any-lessons">more mountain pine beetle killed trees to burn</a> and quite possibly more intense fires because there will be higher temperatures brought on by climate change.</p>
<p>The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) recently recognized the challenges that lay ahead when it announced funding for the “<a href="http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Business-Entreprise/How-Comment/Networks-Reseaux/forWater_eng.asp">forWater Network</a>,” which connects 24 researchers and nine universities across Canada to focus on technologies that will enhance water protections. What NSERC has not done thus far is make wildfire science a research priority.</p>
<p>There is a road map to the future that is slowly working its way through the bureaucratic process in the federal government. While it is short on details, the blueprint makes the business case for investing more in wildfire science. </p>
<p>The take-home message for the decision makers who will consider it, if it climbs far enough up the ladder, is that we are not prepared for the future of wildfire in this country. Unless something significant is done soon, we will see more evacuations, more denuded watersheds and more rivers running black.</p>
<p><em>Edward Struzik is the author of <a href="https://islandpress.org/books/firestorm">Firestorm, How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103966/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edward Struzik does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Much of the country depends on water stored and filtered in forests. Fire-scarred watersheds highlight our need for a national wildfire strategy.Edward Struzik, Fellow, Queen's Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University, OntarioLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/998882018-07-16T20:48:54Z2018-07-16T20:48:54ZCan Elon Musk fix Flint's water?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227834/original/file-20180716-44088-6knrd8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Elon Musk may be on the hot seat for political donations and slurs against a British cave rescuer in Thailand, but his offer to pay for water filters in Flint, Mich., is laudable.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Michigan community of Flint has become a byword for lead poisoning. Elon Musk recently entered the fray. He tweeted a promise to pay to fix the water in any house in Flint that had water contamination above acceptable levels set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.</p>
<div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props='{"tweetId":"1017149641991680002"}'></div>
<p>On Twitter <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-flint-water-plan/">and elsewhere,</a> people argued whether this offer was a big deal or not. Some said his follow-up tweets that most houses in Flint had safe water were wrong. Some said the issue had already been fixed so he was doing nothing. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=463&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=463&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=463&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=582&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=582&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227838/original/file-20180716-44085-1ucsekm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=582&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tesla founder Elon Musk is seen in this February 2018 photo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/John Raoux)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Others argued that his clarification that he would pay to fit water filters in the small number of houses with high lead levels (“outliers,” as he called them) meant he was backtracking.</p>
<h2>Important offer</h2>
<p>Even as controversy swirls this week around Musk’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-political-donations-2018-7">financial contribution to a Republican fundraising committee</a> and his comments about a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/asia/thai-cave-soccer-musk-rescuer-tweet-intl/index.html">British cave rescuer</a> in Thailand, I argue the Tesla founder has made an important offer regarding Flint. What’s more, he’s clearly explored the issues surrounding lead in the town’s drinking water.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=898&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=898&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=898&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1129&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1129&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227624/original/file-20180713-27024-1uxwpp4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1129&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A biomedical device that measures long-term lead exposure by assessing levels of lead in bone using x-rays.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photographs by Paulina Rzeczkowska used with permission</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I have studied lead exposure for 30 years. I develop biomedical devices to measure long-term exposure. I recently showed that long-term exposure to lead in Canada has been reduced by half <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6579/aa904f/pdf">since the early 1990s</a>. </p>
<p>I know that removing lead from drinking water is important because lead is such a toxic metal. It lowers <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257652/">children’s IQs</a>, and my colleagues and I showed that lead-exposed children have higher <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.10096/full">blood pressure</a> late in life. We also found that women exposed to lead <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1278489/">undergo menopause</a> earlier than non-exposed women. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/from-iq-to-blood-pressure-we-should-not-be-complacent-about-lead-92344">From IQ to blood pressure, we should not be complacent about lead</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In Flint, controls of lead levels in drinking water failed, and an <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0624-water-lead.html">increased number</a> of children were exposed to high lead levels for months. These children will suffer long-term consequences to their health and quality of life.</p>
<p>The children were lead poisoned in Flint because of poor management, complacency <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/FWATF_FINAL_REPORT_21March2016_517805_7.pdf">and intransigence</a>. </p>
<p>Like many municipalities in North America, a proportion of the water lines in Flint are made of lead. Water running through lead pipes picks up small amounts of the metal, but more lead dissolves when the water is warm and/or acidic. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/FWATF_FINAL_REPORT_21March2016_517805_7.pdf">April 2014</a>, the city switched the source of water to the Flint River. This water was corrosive, and they failed to add corrosion control. More lead dissolved into the water and children drinking tap water were poisoned. The switch in water supply increased the number of children with blood lead levels above the U.S. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/ACCLPP/blood_lead_levels.htm">action level</a> of 5 µg/dL by <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0624-water-lead.html">50 per cent</a>.</p>
<h2>Government officials prolonged crisis</h2>
<p>It took months for the problem to be acknowledged and some state officials <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/FWATF_FINAL_REPORT_21March2016_517805_7.pdf">“stubbornly worked</a> to discredit and dismiss others’ attempts to bring the issues of unsafe water… to light” and “prolonged the Flint water crisis.”
The source of water was finally switched back, and slowly lead levels in drinking water and the number of children with blood levels above the action level fell.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=418&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=525&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=525&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227830/original/file-20180716-44100-9px5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=525&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A child has blood drawn in this March 2016 photo in Flint, Mich.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mike Householder)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As of 2018, the state of Michigan’s <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/flintwater/0,6092,7-345-76292_76294_76297---,00.html">sampling data</a> of high-risk areas in Flint shows that four per cent of water samples in Flint over a six-month period had lead level levels above the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory level of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm">15 parts per billion</a>. </p>
<p>As Musk noted, most of the tap water in Flint (more than 90 per cent) is indeed safe by the EPA standard. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced the withdrawal of supplies of bottled water <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/07/us/flint-michigan-water-bottle-program-ends/index.html">in April</a> 2018, arguing that tap-water testing met federal guidelines and declaring the crisis over.</p>
<p>But that doesn’t mean that lead has been completely eliminated. There are still properties in the city in 2018 with tested levels that exceed the EPA standard. While ongoing work to replace pipes, some the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2017/170511-2?utm_source=tw&amp;utm_medium=tweet&amp;utm_campaign=Flint">result of lawsuits</a>, should mean lower levels of lead in the community’s tap water in the future, it can cause spikes in lead water levels as particular pipes are cut apart and replaced.</p>
<p>Musk went further in his Tweets than a commitment to water levels below the EPA standard. He committed to fixing the water in any house that exceeded Food and Drug Administration (FDA) levels. </p>
<h2>Regulated differently</h2>
<p>In the United States, bottled water and tap water are regulated at different levels. The FDA (bottled) water level is three times lower than the EPA limit at <a href="https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm203620.htm">five parts per billion</a>. The <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/flintwater/0,6092,7-345-76292_76294_76297---,00.html">state data</a> from high-risk areas in Flint from January to July 2018 shows that 50 to 100 per cent more samples fail at this level. </p>
<p>And so by using the FDA standard, Musk is committing to paying to add filters to the water supply in potentially twice the number of homes in high-risk areas.</p>
<p>Lead can be removed from water by filtration. Some filters work better than others, but even low-cost filters can <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-11/documents/2005_11_17_faq_fs_healthseries_filtration.pdf">work well</a>, so Musk’s pledge to add filtration to house water supplies could work as an interim measure. <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2018/04/06/flint-water-bottled-drinking/493954002/">Free water filters</a> and replacement cartridges are available at City Hall, but as Musk noted in his Tweets, some local people distrust the state agency information and the filters. Who can blame them? </p>
<div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props='{"tweetId":"1017157155638525952"}'></div>
<p>The official report of the <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/FWATF_FINAL_REPORT_21March2016_517805_7.pdf">Flint Water Advisory Task Force</a> notes that state officials tried to discredit the issue of unsafe water. Why would people in Flint accept on faith an offer of help from government, when governments have failed them? </p>
<p>Elon Musk may have an important role to play, not as an engineer and an installer of filters, but as an arm’s-length third party whose help can be believed. The mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver, has said her conversation with Musk’s team gave her hope that Musk could help with improving <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/elon-musk-pledges-fix-flint-water-homes-contamination/story?id=56565573">local confidence</a> in water quality.</p>
<p>If Musk can help achieve safe drinking water more quickly for every home in Flint, then he should be lauded. Water is life. Giving all of the residents of Flint confidence in the safety of the tap water in their homes helps restore their lives and dignity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99888/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona E. McNeill receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to develop biomedical devices to study lead exposure. In the past, she has received funding from both Health Canada and the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to conduct surveys of long term lead exposure.</span></em></p>If Elon Musk can help achieve safe drinking water more quickly for every home in Flint, Mich., then he should be lauded. Water is life.Fiona E. McNeill, Professor of Radiation Sciences, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/994512018-07-10T20:03:04Z2018-07-10T20:03:04ZBetter boil ya billy: when Australian water goes bad<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226890/original/file-20180710-70042-1xb60l8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/60060337@N02/9226683623/in/photolist-f4kaA8-fEdSCh-hvcdT7-nQj4n6-puTSn-96FzKp-6UCVWi">Steve Dorman/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many Australians take it for granted we can drink untreated tap water, without worrying about the health effects. </p>
<p>However, a <a href="https://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/publications/latest-reports/regulation-of-water-pollution-in-drinking-water-catchments-and-illegal-disposal-of-solid-waste">recent audit</a> criticised the regulation of pollution in the massive Warragamba Dam drinking water catchment, the biggest single metropolitan water reservoir in Australia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/why-does-some-tap-water-taste-weird-94661">Why does some tap water taste weird?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Auditor-General’s report found that the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was not effectively regulating water pollution in drinking water catchments. The report mentioned <a href="https://www.waternsw.com.au/about/who-we-are">WaterNSW</a>, which is the authority that supplies the majority of Sydney’s water needs. The report concluded that responsible bodies like the EPA and WaterNSW need to work together more effectively to protect Sydney’s water from pollution. </p>
<p>Problems in the Warragamba Dam, which is surely the most regulated and monitored water supply in the country, raise the issue of regional water quality. </p>
<h2>Sydney’s salinity is rising</h2>
<p>The audit was triggered by an <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lc/papers/DBAssets/tabledpaper/WebAttachments/71475/Sydney%20Catchment%20Audit%20Vol%202.pdf">independent triennial review</a> of Sydney’s water supply (in which I participated), which was completed last year. </p>
<p>One of the issues we identified was rising salinity in Warragamba Dam. Although Sydney’s water supply has relatively low salinity by Australian standards, the level in Warragamba Dam (measured as electrical conductivity) was about twice that of other, smaller storages. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=435&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=435&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=435&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=547&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=547&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/226956/original/file-20180710-70066-1hgsqyf.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=547&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Median results from storage reservoir sampling sites collected over the 2013-16 review period. Red bar indicates median value was above the audit guideline.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lc/papers/DBAssets/tabledpaper/WebAttachments/71475/Sydney%20Catchment%20Audit%20Vol%203.pdf">Sydney Drinking Water Catchment Audit 2013-2016</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Coal mines in the Warragamba catchment are a major source of salinity. The Springvale mine is the largest, and it disposes a large volume of wastewater to the catchment. I have been very concerned about the impact of this <a href="http://ipcn.nsw.gov.au/resources/pac/media/files/pac/projects/2015/08/springvale-mine-extension-project-second-review/presentations/ianwright1pdf.pdf">coal mine discharge</a> on water quality for many years. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/is-your-drinking-water-safe-heres-how-you-can-find-out-77543">Is your drinking water safe? Here's how you can find out</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The Springvale mine’s current discharge licence permits more than 10 Olympic swimming pools of saline waste water to be <a href="https://data.centennialcoal.com.au/domino/centennialcoal/cc205.nsf/0/F0511804AEA22114CA2582AC00065B9A/%24file/Springvale%20Environmental%20Monitoring%20Report%20May%202018.pdf">released daily</a> into the Warragamba catchment. The waste water from Springvale has a salinity level eight times higher than that of Warragamba Dam. </p>
<h2>Regional water problems</h2>
<p>If pollution is allowed in such an important water supply, what is happening to your local water supply?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/we-asked-five-experts-do-i-have-to-drink-eight-glasses-of-water-per-day-93025">We asked five experts: do I have to drink eight glasses of water per day?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Currently there are several water supplies in <a href="https://www.taswater.com.au/Community---Environment/Current-Alerts/Boil-Water-Alerts/Bronte-Park">Tasmania</a> that have “boil water” alerts. <a href="https://www.taswater.com.au/Community---Environment/Current-Alerts/Boil-Water-Alerts/Bronte-Park">Boil water alerts</a> indicate that harmful pathogens could be present in the water supply, and it should be boiled for <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html">at least a minute</a> before drinking. </p>
<p>In some communities in Western Australia the water supply is tainted by contamination that is not managed by simply boiling it. High nitrate levels in tap water have been reported from some communities, such as <a href="https://www.water.wa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/4913/11827.pdf">Meekatharra</a>, a small township 700km northeast of Perth that relies on groundwater. </p>
<p>High levels of nitrates in the water cannot be easily treated, and are particularly dangerous for infants. When drunk by babies it can affect their blood oxygen levels and cause a disease called <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/blue-baby-syndrome">blue baby syndrome</a>. Western Australia’s Water Corporation recommends that babies under three months <a href="https://www.watercorporation.com.au/-/media/files/residential/about-us/our-performance/drinking-water-quality/dwq-annual-report-mid-west-health-tables.pdf">do not consume the water</a>, and bottled water is recommended for young babies. </p>
<p>Water in Katherine, in the Northern Territory, has been contaminated by toxic and persistent chemicals used in firefighting foam. The toxins have accumulated in the groundwater. Many other communities across Australia have also been <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/contamination/9032140">similarly affected</a>. </p>
<p>Uranium has also been reported in some remote community water supplies from the Northern Territory. Alarmingly, uranium levels were <a href="https://www.powerwater.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/34535/Laramba_Water_Quality.PDF">above Australian drinking water guidelines</a>, and there are no clear guidelines for managing the problem.</p>
<p>These examples from regional communities reinforce the importance of preventing contamination from entering water supplies.</p>
<p>It is worth remembering that 20 years ago protozoan pathogens from the Warragamba supply resulted in several <a href="https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/assets/dpc-nsw-gov-au/publications/Sydney-Water-Inquiry-listing-427/5cb60e9942/Fifth-Report-Final-Report-Volume-2-December-1998.pdf">boil water alerts</a> across Sydney. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/six-ways-to-improve-water-quality-in-new-zealands-lakes-and-rivers-95049">Six ways to improve water quality in New Zealand's lakes and rivers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The NSW Auditor-General’s report found serious issues in how the EPA manages water pollution in Sydney’s drinking water catchments. For example, much of the data used by the EPA was self-reported by industry sources. </p>
<p>It may be surprising to many Australians that our water quality varies so wildly across the country. Our pollution watchdogs need to be strengthened and resourced properly so they can protect our most fundamental resource.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99451/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Wright regularly consults and receives funding for industry projects, through Western Sydney University. For many years he has worked with NSW Environmental Defenders Office, and small community groups, providing advice on water quality issues associated with coal mines and other waste sources. The majority of these projects have involved pro bono work.</span></em></p>An audit of Sydney's drinking water has found worryingly high salinity. If the biggest water catchment in the country has problems, what about regional and rural Australia?Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/978602018-06-21T18:48:16Z2018-06-21T18:48:16ZSouth-East Queensland is droughtier and floodier than we thought<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223975/original/file-20180620-137734-1bzxjzp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">South-East Queensland residents need to prepare for more regular floods, according to new data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New data recording the past <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.05.019">1,500 years of flows in the Brisbane River</a> have revealed that South-East Queensland’s climate – once assumed to be largely stable – is in fact highly variable. </p>
<p>Until now, we have only had access to 200 years of weather records in South-East Queensland. But our new research used marine sediment cores (dirt from the bottom of the ocean) to reconstruct stream flows and rainfall over past millennia. </p>
<p>This shows that long droughts and regular floods are both prominent features in South-East Queensland’s climate.</p>
<p>This is concerning. Decisions about where we build infrastructure and how we use water have been based on the assumption that our climate – especially rainfall – is relatively stable. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
À lire aussi :
<a href="http://theconversation.com/old-floods-show-brisbanes-next-big-wet-might-be-closer-than-we-think-70392">Old floods show Brisbane's next big wet might be closer than we think</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Archives of past climates</h2>
<p>Natural archives of climate are preserved within things such as tree rings, coral skeletons, ice cores, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-11/north-stradbroke-island-sediment-core-project-qld/8878758">lake</a> or marine sediments. Examining them lets us extend our climate records back beyond documented history.</p>
<p>We can then undertake water planning in the context of a longer record of climate, instead of our short-term instrumental records. </p>
<p>In this study, we used sediment cores from Moreton Bay (next to the mouth of the Brisbane River) to reconstruct the river’s flow over the past 1,500 years. In these cores we measured various indicators of fresh water to reconstruct a record of streamflow and regional rainfall. </p>
<p>At the turn of the last millennium the region was in the middle of a prolonged dry spell that lasted some six centuries, from roughly the year 600 to 1200. After about 1350 the region became gradually wetter, with peaks revealing a series of extreme floods in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Large floods in the 1700s have also been documented in the upper reaches of the catchment, in the Lockyer Valley. </p>
<p>These broad shifts in regional rainfall and streamflow are linked to drivers of global climates, including hemispheric cooling and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-el-nino-and-la-nina-27719">El Niño-Southern Oscillation</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
À lire aussi :
<a href="http://theconversation.com/explainer-el-nino-and-la-nina-27719">Explainer: El Niño and La Niña</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A cool La Niña-dominant climate that persisted from roughly 1350 until 1750 caused increased rainfall and reduced evaporation. </p>
<p>In addition, the southward displacement of monsoon troughs at this time may have increased the likelihood of cyclone-related weather systems reaching southern Queensland. </p>
<p>This information helps us contextualise the climate of the last 200 years and gives us some insights into how regional rainfall responds to shifts in global climate.</p>
<h2>Wet and dry extremes</h2>
<p>Over the past 20 years, South-East Queensland has experienced its fair share of extreme weather events. <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/flood/fld_history/floodsum_2010.shtml">Severe floods</a> have caused deaths and damaged infrastructure. Flooding cost the Australian economy some <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-01-18/flood-costs-tipped-to-top-30b/1909700">A$30 billion</a> in 2011.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/223977/original/file-20180620-137717-b64mw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Regular droughts may mean South-East Queensland needs to rethink water resource strategies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-26/100-years-of-drought/5282030">millennium drought</a>, which in this region was most severe from 2003-08, resulted in widespread water shortages. This prompted major investment in the <a href="http://www.seqwater.com.au/water-supply/asset-maintenance-construction/improving-seq-water-grid">South-East Queensland Water Grid</a>, a connected network of dams, water treatment plants, reservoirs, pump stations and pipelines. </p>
<p>So far Queensland has coped with everything Mother Nature has thrown at it. But what if extreme floods and droughts became the norm rather than the exception? </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
À lire aussi :
<a href="http://theconversation.com/floods-dont-occur-randomly-so-why-do-we-still-plan-as-if-they-do-93371">Floods don't occur randomly, so why do we still plan as if they do?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Water quality is getting worse</h2>
<p>The 2011 and 2013 floods highlighted the <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/newman-focused-on-bundaberg-flood/news-story/c98fa11cf104efd739f3e07bf77cb953">vulnerability to these extreme events of Brisbane’s major water treatment facility at Mt Crosby</a>. The drinking water supply to the city in 2013 became too muddy for purification. The 2011 flood was also alarmingly muddy. </p>
<p>Such events also threaten the ecosystem health of downstream waterways, including the iconic <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969716313754">Moreton Bay</a> </p>
<p>Our reconstruction found that big floods over the past 1,500 years rivalled the size of floods in recorded history (1893, 1974 and 2011), but the level of sediment in the water of more recent floods seems to be unprecedented. </p>
<p>This indicates that historical and ongoing land-use changes in the Brisbane River <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213305415300229">catchment</a> are contributing to more abrupt and erosive floods. </p>
<p>This will continue unless better <a href="https://seqmayors.qld.gov.au/project/resilient-rivers-initiative/">land management</a> techniques are adopted to improve the resilience of catchments to extreme weather events. </p>
<h2>What does this mean for the future?</h2>
<p>We are learning that over the last millennium natural climate and rainfall have been more variable than previously thought. This means that modern anthropogenic climate change may be exacerbated by a background of already high natural climate variability.</p>
<p>In addition, our water infrastructure has been built based on a narrow understanding of natural climate variability, limited to the last 200 years. This may mean the quantity of reliable long-term freshwater resources in eastern Australia has been overestimated. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
À lire aussi :
<a href="http://theconversation.com/droughts-and-flooding-rains-what-is-due-to-climate-change-6524">Droughts &amp; flooding rains: what is due to climate change?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97860/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Coates-Marnane receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:joanne.burton@des.qld.gov.au">joanne.burton@des.qld.gov.au</a> receives funding from Australian Research Council and the Queensland State Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Tibby receives funding from The Australian Research Council and The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Olley receives funding from Australian Research Council</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph M. McMahon receives funding from Seqwater. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justine Kemp receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>We rely on climate data to help us make important decisions for our future, such as building infrastructure. But what if a region's climate has long been more volatile than we realised?Jack Coates-Marnane, Post-doctoral research fellow, Griffith UniversityJoanne Burton, Adjunct Research Fellow, Griffith UniversityJohn Tibby, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Change, University of AdelaideJon Olley, Professor of Water Science, Griffith UniversityJoseph M. McMahon, PhD candidate, Griffith UniversityJustine Kemp, Senior Research Fellow in Geomorphology, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/958752018-05-02T20:22:21Z2018-05-02T20:22:21Z$500 million for the Great Barrier Reef is welcome, but we need a sea change in tactics too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217181/original/file-20180502-153891-v767up.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The new funding is focused on measures that are already in the foreground.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Robert Linsdell/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government’s <a href="http://www.joshfrydenberg.com.au/guest/mediaReleasesDetails.aspx?id=563">announcement</a> of more than A$500 million in funding for the Great Barrier Reef is good news. It appears to show a significant commitment to the reef’s preservation – something that has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/60-million-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef-is-a-drop-in-the-ocean-but-we-have-to-try-90534">lacking</a> in recent years.</p>
<p>The new A$444 million package, which comes in the wake of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/60-million-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef-is-a-drop-in-the-ocean-but-we-have-to-try-90534">A$60 million previously announced in January</a>, includes:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>A$201 million to improve water quality by cutting fertiliser use and adopting new technologies and practices</p></li>
<li><p>A$100 million for research on coral resilience and adaptation</p></li>
<li><p>A$58 million to continue fighting crown-of-thorns starfish</p></li>
<li><p>A$45 million for community engagement, particularly among Traditional Owners</p></li>
<li><p>A$40 million to enhance monitoring and management on the GBR.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>A spokesperson for federal environment minister Josh Frydenberg said the funding would be available immediately to the <a href="https://www.barrierreef.org/">Great Barrier Reef Foundation</a>, and that there was no predetermined time frame for the spending.</p>
<p>But one concern with the package is that it seems to give greatest weight to the strategies that are already being tried – and which have so far fallen a long way short of success.</p>
<h2>Water quality</h2>
<p>The government has not yet announced the timelines for rollout of the program. But if we assume that the A$201 million is funding for the next two years, this matches the current rate of water quality management funding - A$100 million a year, which has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-election-is-our-last-chance-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef-59381">in place since 2008</a>. </p>
<p>Yet it is already clear that this existing funding is not reducing pollution loads on the GBR by the required extent. The federal and Queensland governments’ own annual report cards for <a href="https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/report-cards/2015/link">2015</a> and <a href="https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/report-cards/2016/">2016</a> reveal limited success in improving water quality. It is also known from joint Australian and Queensland government analyses that the required funding to meet water quality targets is of the order of <a href="http://www.alluvium.com.au/Blog/June-2016-(1)/Costing-water-quality-management-for-the-Great-Bar.aspx">A$1 billion per year over the next 10 years</a>.</p>
<p>In the region’s main industries, such as sugarcane cultivation and beef grazing, most land is still managed using methods that are well below best practice for water quality, such as fertiliser rates of application in sugarcane cultivation. According to the <a href="https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/assets/2017-scientific-consensus-statement-summary-chap05.pdf">2017 Scientific Consensus Statement</a> on the GBR’s water quality, very limited progress has been made so far.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=255&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=255&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=255&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=321&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=321&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217166/original/file-20180502-153888-1ltfbl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=321&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Progress towards targets and assigned scores in the 2015 Great Barrier Reef Report Card.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/assets/2017-scientific-consensus-statement-summary-chap04.pdf">2017 Scientific Consensus Statement</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The respective <a href="https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/targets/">load reduction targets</a> set for 2018 and 2025 are highly unlikely to be met at current funding levels. For example, shown below are the current projections for levels of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=312&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=312&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=312&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=393&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=393&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217169/original/file-20180502-153869-ya23g8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=393&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Progress on reducing total GBR wide dissolved inorganic nitrogen loads and trajectories towards targets.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CREDIT</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This likely failure to meet any of the targets was noted by UNESCO in <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6216">2015</a> and again in <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/7027">2017</a> as a major concern, amid deliberations on whether to put the GBR on the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/">World Heritage in Danger list</a>. The UNESCO report criticised Australia’s lack of progress towards achieving its 2050 water quality targets and failure to pass land clearing legislation.</p>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/reef-science/scientific-consensus-statement/">2017 Scientific Consensus Statement</a> also pointed out, improvements to land management oversight are “urgently needed”. Continued government spending on the same programs, at the same levels, and with no federal legislation to mandate improvements, is unlikely to bring water pollution to acceptable levels or offer significant protection to the GBR.</p>
<p>In contrast to the federal government, the Queensland government is taking what are likely to be more effective measures to manage water quality. These include regulations such as the revised <a href="https://dnrme.qld.gov.au/land-water/initiatives/vegetation-management-laws">Vegetation Management Act</a>, which is likely to be passed by the parliament in the next few weeks; and the updated <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef-regulations">Reef Protection Act</a>, currently out for review. Queensland is also directing funds towards pollution hotspots under the <a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/agriculture/sustainable-farming/reef-major-projects">Major Integrated Projects framework</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/cloudy-issue-we-need-to-fix-the-barrier-reefs-murky-waters-39380">Cloudy issue: we need to fix the Barrier Reef's murky waters</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Crown-of-thorns starfish</h2>
<p>The government’s new package has pledged A$58 million for further culling of this coral-eating animal. Yet the current culling program has faced <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/serious-case-of-negligence-scientists-blast-controls-on-coraleating-starfish-20180117-h0jpfo.html">serious criticism</a> over its effectiveness.</p>
<p>Udo Engelhardt, director of consultancy Reefcare International, and a pioneer in the control of crown-of-thorns starfish, has claimed that his analysis of the culling carried out in 2013-15 in reef areas off Cairns and to the south of Cairns, reveals a “widespread and consistent failure” to protect coral cover.</p>
<p>Nor does there seem to have been a major independent review of the program since these findings came to light. Without one, it seems a shaky bet to assume that we will expect any more success simply by continuing to fund it.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/217189/original/file-20180502-153878-1yep9h9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Overcoming crown-of-thorns starfish might take some more creative thinking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crown-of-thorns_starfish_Acanthaster_planci_(7504786886).jpg">Paul Asman/Jill Lenoble/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Reef restoration</h2>
<p>Similar question marks hover over the A$100 million being provided to harness the best science to help restore and protect the reef, and to study the most resilient corals. Like other aspects of the package, the government has not yet promised a timeline on which to roll out the funds.</p>
<p>While reef restoration may be significant for the long-term (decades to centuries) status of the GBR, it is hard to believe that these studies will help within the coming few decades. And even long-term success will hinge either on our ability to stabilise the climate, or on science’s ability to keep pace with the rate of future change.</p>
<p>In the meantime, reef restoration seems at best to be a band-aid that could preserve select tourism sites, but is inconceivable on the scale of the entire GBR.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/not-out-of-hot-water-yet-what-the-world-thinks-about-the-great-barrier-reef-42945">Not out of hot water yet: what the world thinks about the Great Barrier Reef</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Herein lies the most significant criticism of the new funding package. It avoids any mention of reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, or of working closely with the international community to help deliver significant global reductions. Yet climate change is <a href="https://theconversation.com/coal-and-climate-change-a-death-sentence-for-the-great-barrier-reef-39252">routinely described as the biggest threat to the reef</a>.</p>
<p>The new announcement dodges that issue, while providing a moderate amount of funding for the continuation of largely unsuccessful programs. Given that the new funding is to be managed by the <a href="https://www.barrierreef.org/">Great Barrier Reef Foundation</a> – which is a charity rather than a statutory management body – we can only hope that the foundation finds new and innovative ways to improve greatly on the current efforts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95875/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Brodie currently receives funding from the Australian Government through the NESP, from the Queensland Government through various project funding, and small grants from the United Nations and WWF. </span></em></p>The federal government's new $500 million funding package for the Great Barrier Reef seems predominantly focused on the tactics that are already being tried, without much success.Jon Brodie, Professorial Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/938612018-03-26T19:01:06Z2018-03-26T19:01:06ZWhy Australians need a national environment protection agency to safeguard their health<p>Australia needs an independent national agency charged with safeguarding the environment and delivering effective climate policy, according to a new campaign launched today by a coalition of environmental, legal and medical NGOs.</p>
<p>Most Western democracies have established national regulatory action, such as the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">US Environmental Protection Agency</a> – yet Australia is a notable exception.</p>
<p>Today in Canberra, the Australian Panel of Experts on Environmental Law (<a href="http://apeel.org.au/papers">APEEL</a>) will hold a <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/better-laws-for-a-better-planet-symposium-tickets-42854571176">symposium on the reform of environmental laws in Australia</a>. If enacted, these proposals would offer protection to Australia’s declining biodiversity and environment, as well as helping to safeguard Australians’ health.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/climate-policy-is-a-fiendish-problem-for-governments-time-for-an-independent-authority-with-real-powers-93853">Climate policy is a fiendish problem for governments – time for an independent authority with real powers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The proposal would involve establishing a high-level Commonwealth Environment Commission (CEC) that would be responsible for Commonwealth strategic environmental instruments, in much the same way that the Reserve Bank is in charge of economic levers such as interest rates. </p>
<p>The new CEC would manage a nationally coordinated system of environmental data collection, monitoring, auditing and reporting, the conduct of environmental inquiries of a strategic nature, and the provision of strategic advice to the Commonwealth government on environmental matters, either upon request or at its own initiative. The necessary outcomes would then be delivered by government and ministers via a newly created National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA).</p>
<p>Tomorrow, this call will be <a href="http://www.placesyoulove.org/australiawelove/naturelaws/">echoed</a> by a major alliance of leading environmental groups, including Doctors for the Environment Australia. Similar to the CEC/NEPA proposal, this group has called for an independent “National Sustainability Commission” that would develop conservation plans, monitor invasive species, and set nationally binding air pollution standards and climate adaptation plans.</p>
<p>The new body would replace the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc">EPBC Act</a>, which has failed to deliver the protections it promised in key areas such as land clearing and species protection, and has no role in limiting climate change which is a major factor in species loss.</p>
<p>The new agencies would be in a position to provide authoritative and understandable consensus reports, similar to those produced by the <a href="http://ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> but with a stronger legal basis on which the government should act on its advice.</p>
<h2>Why change the system?</h2>
<p>The rationale for reform is clear. Only last week the International Energy Agency reported that Earth’s greenhouse emissions have <a href="http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/GECO2017.pdf">increased yet again</a>. Meanwhile, extreme weather events have <a href="https://easac.eu/press-releases/details/new-data-confirm-increased-frequency-of-extreme-weather-events-european-national-science-academies/">increased</a>, while <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/03/1005112">wildlife diversity is on the decline</a>.</p>
<p>Having failed so far to arrest these trends, the governments of countries with high standards of living and high greenhouse emissions should be held particularly accountable. Clearing land and burning forest for firewood are understandable survival strategies for the poor, but unacceptable in rich nations.</p>
<p>Australia’s national laws would be strengthened to address the challenge of climate change and ensure we can mitigate, adapt to and be resilient in the face of a warming world.</p>
<p>Action on climate change, essential to protect biodiversity, is also vital to protect human health as a quarter of world disease has its root causes in <a href="http://www.canberra.edu.au/researchrepository/file/67130a67-4143-4df3-8d10-aa2e53814e66/1/full_text_published.pdf">environmental change, degradation and pollution</a>.</p>
<p>The World Health Organisation regards climate change as the <a href="http://www.who.int/globalchange/global-campaign/cop21/en/">greatest health threat</a> of the 21st century, a view recognised by the statements of the <a href="https://ama.com.au/ausmed/tracking-impact-climate-change-health">Australian Medical Association</a> and Doctors for the Environment Australia.</p>
<p>Already, it is responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide, and that figure is <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/a-quarter-of-deaths-caused-by-environmental-degradation-says-un/a-19277576">projected to rise to 250,000 by 2030</a>. In Australia, air quality reform could prevent <a href="https://soe.environment.gov.au/theme/ambient-air-quality/topic/2016/health-impacts-air-pollution">an estimated 3,000 air pollution deaths per year</a>.</p>
<h2>Causes of current inaction</h2>
<p>There are fundamentally two causes of inaction. First, in this increasingly
complex world, governments now more than ever need impartial advice based on the best available evidence. Yet all too often, such advice is <a href="https://theconversation.com/ignored-by-the-government-shrunk-by-resignations-where-now-for-australias-climate-change-authority-47366">politicised, ignored, or both</a>.</p>
<p>Second, in leading democracies – particularly in Australia with its relatively short election cycles – the pressure to focus on re-election prospects dictates that governments emphasise jobs, growth, and living standards. It takes strong leadership to promote the interests of future generations as well as current ones.</p>
<p>It seems counterintuitive to suggest that for its survival, a government might need to delegate decisions for human survival to systems beyond its immediate political control. Yet it already does delegate crucial decisions, such as the monthly interest rate calls made by the Reserve Bank.</p>
<p>A newly created CEC and NEPA would be charged with safeguarding the climate, wildlife, fresh water and clean air. It would be in a position to improve air quality to standards recommended by the World Health Organization, protect water quality, and deliver effective climate change mitigation and adaptation policy uniformly in all states.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/around-the-world-environmental-laws-are-under-attack-in-all-sorts-of-ways-77590">Around the world, environmental laws are under attack in all sorts of ways</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The success of such a national system would manifest itself in a growing number of decisions similar to the recent <a href="https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment/2017/QLC17-024.pdf">rejection of the expansion of Stage 3 of the Acland coal mine</a>. The judge in that case turned it down on the basis of a range of health and environmental transgressions, yet it is currently more common for states to <a href="https://www.dea.org.au/images/general/DEA_-_The_Health_Factor_05-13.pdf">approve this type of developments</a> rather than reject them.</p>
<p>Nationally enforceable standards for resource developments are likely to bring effective preventative health benefits, as well as certainty of process. These reforms present an overdue opportunity for Australia to offer leadership and catch up on lost time, to ameliorate the progression of climate change and biodiversity loss, and thus lessen their future impacts.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93861/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Shearman is the Honorary Secretary of Doctors for the Environment Australia that receive funding from the Melbourne Lord Mayor&#39;s Charitable Foundation. </span></em></p>Environmental and health groups have called for the creation of a non-political federal agency with the power to rule on pollution levels - much like the Reserve Bank does for interest rates.David Shearman, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/832332017-09-01T05:27:55Z2017-09-01T05:27:55ZThe new Great Barrier Reef pollution plan is better, but still not good enough<p>The draft <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/assets/reef-2050-water-quality-improvement-plan-2017-draft.pdf">water quality improvement plan</a>, released by the federal and Queensland governments this week, aims to reduce the pollution flowing from water catchments to the Great Barrier Reef over the next five years. </p>
<p>It is part of the overarching <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan</a> to protect and manage the reef until mid-century. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/cloudy-issue-we-need-to-fix-the-barrier-reefs-murky-waters-39380">Water quality</a> is one of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/great-barrier-reef-threats-series-17189">biggest threats to the reef’s health</a>, but the new guidelines still fall short of what’s required, given the available scientific evidence. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/cloudy-issue-we-need-to-fix-the-barrier-reefs-murky-waters-39380">Cloudy issue: we need to fix the Barrier Reef's murky waters</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The draft plan, which is open for comment until October, presents several important and commendable advances in the management of water quality on the Great Barrier Reef. It addresses all land-based sources of water pollution (agricultural, urban, public lands and industrial) and includes social, cultural and economic values for the first time. </p>
<p>The principal sources of pollution are nitrogen loss from fertiliser use on sugar cane lands, fine sediment loss from erosion on grazing lands, and pesticide losses from cropping lands. These are all major risk factors for the Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>The draft plan also presents updated water quality targets that call for reductions in run-off nutrients and fine sediments by 2025. Each of the 35 catchments that feeds onto the reef has <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/catchment-targets/">its own individual set of targets</a>, thus helping to prioritise pollution-reduction measures across a region almost as large as Sweden. </p>
<h2>The reef’s still suffering</h2>
<p>The Great Barrier Reef suffered coral <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v543/n7645/full/nature21707.html">bleaching</a> and <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/reef-health">death</a> over vast areas in 2016, and again this year. The <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/scientific-consensus-statement/">2017 Scientific Consensus Statement</a>, released with the draft water quality plan (and on which one of us, Jon Brodie, was an author), reports:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Key Great Barrier Reef ecosystems continue to be in poor condition. This is largely due to the collective impact of land run-off associated with past and ongoing catchment development, coastal development activities, extreme weather events and climate change impacts such as the 2016 and 2017 coral bleaching events.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Stronger action on the local and regional causes of coral death are seen to be <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v546/n7656/full/nature22901.html">essential for recovery</a> at locations where poor water quality is a major cause of reef decline. These areas include mid-shelf reefs in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ecocheck-australias-wet-tropics-are-worth-billions-if-we-can-keep-out-the-invading-ants-56815">Wet Tropics region</a> damaged by crown of thorns starfish, and inner-shelf reefs where turbid waters stop light reaching coral and seagrass. Human-driven threats, especially land-based pollution, must be effectively managed to reduce the impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<p>But although the draft plan provides improved targets and a framework for reducing land-based pollution, it still doesn’t reflect the severity of the situation. The 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement reports that “current initiatives will not meet the water quality targets” by 2025. </p>
<p>This is because the draft plan does not provide any major new funding, legislation or other initiatives to drive down land-based pollution any further. As the statement explains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To accelerate the change in on-ground management, improvements to governance, program design, delivery and evaluation systems are urgently needed. This will require greater incorporation of social and economic factors, better targeting and prioritisation, exploration of alternative management options and increased support and resources.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/the-great-barrier-reefs-safety-net-is-becoming-more-complex-but-less-effective-75053">The Great Barrier Reef's safety net is becoming more complex but less effective</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The draft plan calls on farmers to go “beyond minimum standards” for practices such as fertiliser use in sugar cane, and minimum pasture cover in cattle grazing lands. But even the minimum standards are unlikely to be widely adopted unless governments implement existing legislation to enforce the current standards.</p>
<p>The draft plan is also silent on the impact of <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-better-policy-to-end-the-alarming-increase-in-land-clearing-63507">land clearing</a> on water quality, and the conversion of grazing land to intensively farmed crops such as sugar cane, as proposed in the <a href="http://northernaustralia.gov.au/files/files/NAWP-FullReport.pdf">White Paper on Developing Northern Australia</a>.</p>
<p>The federal and Queensland governments have committed A$2 billion over ten years to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Under the draft plan, about half of this (A$100 million a year) will be spent on water quality management. This is not an increase in resourcing, but rather the same level of funding that has been provided for the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">past seven years</a>.</p>
<h2>More than loose change</h2>
<p>There is a very strong business case for major increases in funding to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Even with conservative assumptions, the economics firm Jacobs has estimated that protecting the industries that depend on the reef will require <a href="https://www.qff.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Jacobs-report-15-12-16.pdf">A$830 million in annual funding</a> – more than four times the current level. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/whats-the-economic-value-of-the-great-barrier-reef-its-priceless-80061">What's the economic value of the Great Barrier Reef? It's priceless</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The draft water quality plan acknowledges the need for a “step change” in reef management, and to “accelerate our collective efforts to improve the land use practices of everyone living and working in the catchments adjacent to the Reef”. </p>
<p>This need is echoed in many other reports, both government and scientific. For example, the <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/scientific-consensus-statement/">2017 Scientific Consensus Statement</a> makes several wide-ranging recommendations.</p>
<p>One of them is to make better use of <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.13262/abstract">existing legislation and policies</a>, including <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">both voluntary and regulatory approaches</a>, to improve water quality standards. </p>
<p>This recommendation applies to both Commonwealth and <a href="https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/ACTS/2009/09AC042.pdf">Queensland</a> laws. These include the federal <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00551">Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975</a>, which restricts or bans any activities that “may pollute water in a manner harmful to animals and plants in the Marine Park”, and the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc">Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999</a>, which prohibits any action, inside or outside the marine park, that affects the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage values.</p>
<p>Another recommendation is to rethink existing land-use plans. For instance, even the best practice in sugar cane farming is <a href="https://terrain.org.au/projects/water-quality-improvement-plan/">inconsistent with the nitrogen fertiliser run-off limits</a> needed to meet <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/how-the-reefs-managed/water-quality-in-the-great-barrier-reef/water-quality-guidelines-for-the-great-barrier-reef">water quality guidelines</a>. One option is to shift to less intensive land uses such as grazing in the Wet Tropics region – a <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/assets/2017-scientific-consensus-statement-summary-chap03.pdf">priority area</a> for nitrate fertiliser management because of its link to <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/9/1/17">crown of thorns starfish outbreaks</a>. This option is being explored in a <a href="http://nesptropical.edu.au/index.php/round-2-projects/project-2-1-2/">NESP project</a>. </p>
<p>These changes would require significantly increased funding to support catchment and coastal management and to meet the draft plan’s <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/catchment-targets/">targets</a>. Government commitment to this level of management is essential to support the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83233/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Brodie receives funding from the Australian Government; Queensland Government; UNEP; the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, NZ; Melbourne Water; NSW EPA. He was also an author of the 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement: Land Use Impacts on Great Barrier Reef Water Quality and Ecosystem Condition.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laurence McCook is a Partner Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alana Grech does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The updated plan for improving water quality on the Great Barrier Reef still doesn't address the need to curb intensively farmed crops such as sugar cane, and to enforce existing environmental laws.Jon Brodie, Professorial Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityAlana Grech, Assistant Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityLaurence McCook, Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, Partner Investigator, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/807962017-07-11T06:03:12Z2017-07-11T06:03:12ZHow worried should you be about lead from Aldi taps?<p>If you have bought an Aldi “<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-10/aldi-spiral-spring-mixer-tap/8695150">The Spiral Spring Mixer Tap</a>” you should <em>not</em> use water from it for drinking or cooking until investigations of <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/aldi-tap-found-to-be-contaminated-with-lead-being-investigated-with-urgency-20170710-gx83c2.html">reported lead contamination</a> is complete. </p>
<h2>What we know</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/customers-warned-to-beware-of-cheap-aldi-tap/news-story/9be3c4f8aa5e04e0ef031d08d1aa7443">media reports</a> that water passing through the tap has up to 15 times the <a href="https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines-publications/eh52">lead levels</a> allowed in Australian drinking water (<a href="https://www.hunterwater.com.au/Water-and-Sewer/Water-Supply/Water-Quality/Guidelines-for-Drinking-Water-Quality.aspx">maximum 0.01 milligrams per litre</a>). <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/qhcss/qhss">Queensland Health’s Forensic and Scientific Services</a> conducted the tests, so the results are credible. </p>
<h2>What we don’t know</h2>
<p>We don’t know how extensive the contamination is. So far, only one tap has been tested and I haven’t seen the actual results. So, we need a larger sample of taps to determine if this was a one-off contamination (unlikely) or represents a wider problem. </p>
<p>Aldi confirmed the taps were tested by a <a href="https://www.nata.com.au/nata/">National Association of Testing Authorities</a> accredited laboratory and passed Australian standards for lead leakage into water before going on sale. But it is not clear why the current tested tap exceeds the Australian standards by so much. </p>
<p>Is it a problem with a particular batch? Or did <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/how-aldi-tap-with-dangerous-levels-of-lead-may-have-passed-safety-tests/news-story/b94a7187ae7b4dfa4ccdaf91d58bb372">substitution of high lead components occur after the first samples were tested</a> as some media reports claim? Australia permits <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2100806-lead-in-australias-drinking-water-is-leaching-from-brass-taps/">higher levels of lead in brass used in Australia’s plumbing fittings</a> than the US, for example. However, the reported lead levels seem too high for this to explain the current situation. </p>
<p>Aldi has suspended sales of the tap and is currently having the taps tested at an independent accredited laboratory. Answers to the questions should be available by the end of the month.</p>
<p>Another issue is the report of “up to 15 times the permitted lead level”. We don’t know if the level of lead is declining with each use of the tap, or if this is just simple assay variability. If the levels decline over time the risk to consumers are less (but still concerning). </p>
<h2>What is the risk if I have one of these taps?</h2>
<p>While the levels involved are substantially higher than the Australian guideline, they are still low and not likely to cause acute lead poisoning. One or two glasses will not poison you.</p>
<p>But lead is <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/">a cumulative toxin</a>. Continued consumption of low levels of lead (over weeks, months and years) can have adverse effects. </p>
<p>The major concern is in babies, young children and unborn babies. Babies and young children absorb more lead than adults, with significant effects on their developing bodies. Effects include <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/hat/noms/lead/index.html">disruption of red blood cell production, kidney damage, behavioural disturbances and other nervous system effects</a>. The behavioural and nervous system effects are of most concern.</p>
<p>Exactly which effects occur will depend on how long and how much water has been consumed (and whether the reported lead levels are typical). For adults, <a href="https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/hat/noms/lead/index.html">anaemia, high blood pressure, tremor, tiredness, sleeplessness, irritability, headache and joint pain</a> may be signs of long-term exposure to low levels of lead. </p>
<h2>What should I do if I have one of these taps?</h2>
<p>Until it is determined if other taps of this brand are similarly contaminated (again, previous test samples had complied with Australian regulations) people who have bought these taps should <em>not</em> use water from them for drinking or cooking. </p>
<p>Anyone who has any health concerns should consult their doctor.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Aldi confirmed the taps were undergoing independent testing, which is expected to be completed by 31 July. “If these results present any indication that a health risk exists for our customers, we will take appropriate action,” a company statement said.</em></p>
<p><em>In the meantime the company recommends customers who have bought the taps register their <a href="http://www.productregistration.aldi.com.au/">product</a> to receive updates and the results of the testing.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><em>Updated July 26, 2017: Aldi says independent testing of its Spiral Spring Mixer Tap confirms it is safe to use. The company says the tap passed testing against the AS/NZS 4020:2005 standard, which was conducted at a laboratory accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80796/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<h4 class="double-bordered">Disclosure</h4><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Musgrave receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council to study adverse reaction to herbal medicines and has previously been funded by the Australian Research Council to study potential natural product treatments for Alzheimer&#39;s disease. He has used workshops on lead contamination as a teaching tool for environmental toxicology.</span></em></p>If you have bought an Aldi “The Spiral Spring Mixer Tap” you should not use water from it for drinking or cooking until investigations of reported lead contamination is complete. What we know The media…Ian Musgrave, Senior lecturer in Pharmacology, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/752972017-04-13T02:08:29Z2017-04-13T02:08:29ZMillions of rotting fish: turtles and crays can save us from Carpageddon<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/163043/original/image-20170329-1637-1myt65c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Turtle hatchlings could be released into the Murray River to manage the sudden influx of dead carp.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ricky Spencer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Australian government plans to <a href="http://theconversation.com/carpageddon-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-release-of-carp-herpes-in-australia-58787">target invasive European carp</a> with a herpes virus, leaving <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-release-the-deadly-carp-virus-into-our-rivers-and-water-supplies-57982">hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carp</a> rotting in the river systems that supply our drinking water and irrigate the fruit and vegetables we eat. </p>
<p>The aim of “Carpageddon” is to return Australian aquatic ecosystems to their <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-could-reduce-pest-carp-in-australian-rivers-using-a-disease-that-came-from-israel-53492">pre-carp state</a> by eliminating or reducing the serious pest species. </p>
<p>Carp currently make up <a href="http://www.nrc.nsw.gov.au/_literature_211949/Draft%20report">83% of the fish biomass</a> in the Murray-Darling Basin in New South Wales. They <a href="http://www.nrc.nsw.gov.au/_literature_211949/Draft%20report">alter river and lake habitats</a> in a way that reduces habitability for native species, including five threatened species. They also have a major impact on inland fisheries, with an estimated <a href="http://www.nrc.nsw.gov.au/_literature_211949/Draft%20report">annual economic cost of A$22 million</a>. </p>
<p>This all makes a substantial argument for releasing a carp killing herpes virus. However, dealing with the aftermath could cost <a href="http://www.nrc.nsw.gov.au/_literature_211949/Draft%20report">A$30 million</a> for NSW alone.</p>
<p>Cleanup costs could be reduced by introducing viruses to discrete populations. However, if the virus escapes into the Murray-Darling Catchment, we will lose control of the virus spread and carp death will be rapid and widespread. </p>
<p>Without a dedicated cleanup effort, the sudden influx of millions of dead fish could permanently pollute our waterways. A potential solution is to recruit nature’s cleaners to do our work for us – scavengers like turtles and crayfish. They could save us from carcass-choked rivers and wetlands, but only if we can protect them from endangerment and extinction.</p>
<h2>Turtles and crayfish are our unlikely saviours</h2>
<p>Carp carcasses are normally eaten by scavengers, a process that’s <a href="http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(10)00303-4?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0169534710003034%3Fshowall%3Dtrue&amp;cc=y%3D">vital to the food web</a> (the system of what eats what in a given environment). In fact, the majority of dead fish <a href="http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10364_52259-119822--,00.html">are consumed</a> <a href="http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(10)00303-4?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0169534710003034%3Fshowall%3Dtrue&amp;cc=y%3D">by scavengers</a>. </p>
<p>As such, simply removing the carp carcasses may reduce the overall amount of nutrients in the ecosystem. This would destabilise the food web, especially for scavengers such as turtles and crayfish who rely on them.</p>
<p>Instead, these scavenging species can provide crucial <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-biocontrol-fights-invasive-species-31298">biocontrol</a>. They would eat any decomposing flesh in our water systems, particularly in areas we can’t easily access with nets, boats and trucks. They would maintain the quality of our waterways in three ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Slow the spread of bacteria that <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87%5B2821:CMCBMA%5D2.0.CO;2/full">break down dead fish</a>, keeping water safe to drink and limiting deoxygenation that could devastate native fish species; </p></li>
<li><p>Digest carp directly into basic nutrients (fertiliser) that is <a href="http://izt.ciens.ucv.ve/ecologia/Archivos/ECO_POB%202011/ECOPO7_2011/Wilson%20y%20Wolkovich%202011.pdf">more readily absorbed</a> by plants and primary producers;</p></li>
<li><p>Semi-permanently store carp nutrients in their <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4934732">slow to decompose shells and exoskeletons</a>, preventing or limiting toxic algal blooms caused by excess nutrients in water.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=413&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=413&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=413&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=519&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=519&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164409/original/image-20170407-29365-m5pe44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=519&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A yabby’s exoskeleton, made of chitin, is the last thing to break down and will store energy for long periods of time. Turtle shells, which are made of keratin, are similar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christopher Watson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Our unlikely saviours are also dying</h2>
<p>Threats to crayfish include agricultural and urban expansion, recreational fishing, pollution from surface runoff and insecticides, and introduced species such as trout and cane toads.</p>
<p>Consequently, native crayfish are declining, with nearly <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-endangered-species-spiny-crayfish-11414">80% of Spiny Crayfish recognised as threatened</a>. However, yabbies have <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=RNfRJvCXbe4C&amp;pg=PA583&amp;lpg=PA583&amp;dq=yabbies+expanded+their+range&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=Yggg5WHUE9&amp;sig=m20hRF0uQu9eyd1mzfjZG6RWPgw&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi9hLOxjJHTAhVDpZQKHS1RDbIQ6AEIQzAH#v=onepage&amp;q=yabbies%20expanded%20their%20range&amp;f=false">expanded their range</a>.</p>
<p>Turtles on the other hand, are in <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/wr/WR11108">sharp decline</a> throughout the Murray Catchment and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-18/rare-snapping-turtles-face-extinction-from-virus/6330262">elsewhere in Australia</a>. A recent gathering of turtle experts in Canberra discussed <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MurrayTurtleTeam/posts/1426235540730697">major threats to turtles, and ways to protect them</a>. </p>
<p>The meeting addressed major causes behind the 2% annual mortality rate of adult turtles that is leading the species to <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12930/abstract">rapid extinction</a>. Cars and foxes kill a significant number of adult turtles every year, and foxes destroy more than <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/wr/WR9830363">95% of turtle nests in the Murray-Darling Basin</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=450&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=566&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=566&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/164205/original/image-20170405-18553-1x9qbo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=566&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Turtles killed by foxes on the Murray River.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ricky Spencer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Changes to the hydrology of the Murray Catchment may also impact turtles. <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR9880485">Some species require permanent wetlands</a>, while <a href="http://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR9880485">others prefer to move</a> between temporarily flooded wetlands and more permanent waters. </p>
<p>Following modern water management, some temporary <a href="http://wst.iwaponline.com/content/45/11/45">wetlands are permanently flooded or gone</a> and some permanent <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00267-004-0250-3">wetlands are dry</a>. </p>
<p>All of these threats together may cause turtles to become functionally extinct in the near future, meaning they cannot play their significant role in the ecosystem anymore.</p>
<h2>How can we help conserve the turtle population?</h2>
<p>Such a sudden decimation of carp has potentially catastrophic consequences. But it may also be an excellent opportunity to recognise the importance of turtles and prioritise their conservation. </p>
<p>In a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.12930/abstract">recent study</a>, headstarting was named as the only management tool that could protect freshwater turtles from the multiple threats throughout their life cycle and eliminate all risks of extinction. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNdGs2H2P8g?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Headstarting involves rearing eggs or newborn animals in captivity, then releasing them into the wild. It has been controversial for decades, but releasing thousands of little turtles throughout the Murray River just might rescue us from the post-apocalyptic effects of Carpageddon.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/75297/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ricky Spencer receives funding from Australian Research Council, North-Central Catchment Management Authority, Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Corporation, Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, Victorian Department of Land, Environment, Water and Planning, Winton Wetlands, Turtles Australia, Inc. and Save Lake Bonney Group Inc. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claudia Santori receives funding from the University of Sydney. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Van Dyke receives funding from Australian Research Council, North-Central Catchment Management Authority, Yorta Yorta Aboriginal Corporation, Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, Victorian Department of Land, Environment, Water and Planning, Winton Wetlands, Turtles Australia, Inc. and Save Lake Bonney Group Inc.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael B. Thompson receives funding from the ARC and the University of Sydney. </span></em></p>Millions of dead carp will fill the Murray-Darling Basin after the government releases a targeted virus. Scavengers like turtles and crayfish might help – as long as we protect them.Ricky Spencer, Associate Professor of Ecology, Western Sydney UniversityClaudia Santori, PhD candidate, University of SydneyJames Van Dyke, Postdoctoral fellow, Western Sydney UniversityMichael B. Thompson, Professor in Zoology, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/743152017-03-09T14:50:16Z2017-03-09T14:50:16ZWhy a Canadian town's water supply turned pink<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160150/original/image-20170309-21026-15in9in.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pink water.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/94861633@N04/16241718598/in/photolist-qKe461-dRkLMg-qKGC2D-oVRB96-6RVg6y-4UAnSK-7nHmEG-dFYGQL-eVMMHP-bQzfJa-S7rqQA-4NB6Y8-84t2Z1-muR4cu-7qYuRv-dN7Ubi-S5fodq-6LfcnK-j8NPiy-9oeTaw-q4DYsM-bpNY9z-9a2i63-PcnTY-feNgK8-eXzn45-nZCrR9-RpTNpe-ea34Vz-GzoXdD-q72Vdo-muPwZr-4fND1o-a3gPvo-dmKUBt-dG5daA-ScaJbA-paHnys-gBqJKL-7JaWan-7xTnLB-7e9Drz-851iYK-arUCiG-S5fnY7-dUxWqz-aBSWqB-7WDzt-7qY5BB-fHmzPD">Magic Momentz/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most of us take it for granted that the taps in our homes will deliver safe and clean water for drinking, cooking, showering and cleaning. This means there is usually little interest from the public in how the water gets there. However, it took less than a day for a story from Onoway, a small town in Alberta, Canada, with just over 1,000 residents, to make it <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/08/americas/canada-pink-water-trnd/">from social media to global newsfeeds</a>. “<a href="http://news.sky.com/story/bright-pink-water-comes-out-of-taps-in-canadian-town-of-onoway-10794521">Bright pink water comes out of taps in Canada!</a>” – suddenly we are all interested in water treatment methods.</p>
<p>To enjoy the benefits of clear and safe water, a hidden but valuable infrastructure of water treatment exists in our cities and villages. These are operated and maintained by engineers and scientists, and among them are water chemists. These chemists have been investigating the use of <a href="http://www.harvesth2o.com/adobe_files/Chlorine%20Necessary.pdf">neat chemical reactions</a> to remove undesired chemicals and potential pathogens from naturally sourced water and to prepare the water for its safe journey through distribution systems. </p>
<div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props='{"tweetId":"839219819052294144"}'></div>
<p>The local drinking water treatment plant of Onoway treats its water using <a href="http://www.onoway.com/content/march-6-2017-water-report">potassium permanganate</a>. This is an almost black looking solid which forms a bright purple solution in water and also removes dissolved iron and another metal called manganese.</p>
<p>Iron and manganese are <a href="https://www.dwrcymru.com/%7E/media/Files/Publications/ci_iron_and_manganese.ashx">not harmful to human health</a> but if these metals are present at high concentrations it can <a href="http://www.filterclean.co.uk/iron_manganese_removal.asp">lead to deposits</a> in the water distribution system and discolouration of the water. However, the auburn tints of iron seem boring compared to the spectacular pink that has raised global interest and lively social media discussions.</p>
<p>Customers are very sensitive to the colour, taste and odour of drinking water – these are the human senses used to assess water quality – so this incident has understandably caused alarm. The pink colour stems from some potassium permanganate that escaped through a failed valve and into the drinking water distribution system, eventually ending up with the customers. </p>
<p>Potassium permanganate has been used in drinking water treatment for <a href="http://jramc.bmj.com/content/jramc/57/6/442.full.pdf">more than 100 years</a>. In addition to iron and manganese removal, it is used to remove taste and odour as well as to control <a href="https://iaspub.epa.gov/tdb/pages/treatment/treatmentOverview.do">undesired algal or mussel</a> growth in treatment works. It also has disinfecting properties. Permanganate forms solid, black <a href="https://www.webelements.com/compounds/manganese/manganese_dioxide.html">manganese dioxide</a> when it reacts with the water contaminants – and this can then be filtered out of the water. </p>
<h2>A little goes a long way</h2>
<p>Potassium permanganate has the chemical structure KMnO4 and is a compound that is electron deficient – it doesn’t have enough electrons. This lack of electrons makes it a strong oxidant that readily reacts with a wide range of unwanted compounds in water. It belongs to an established group of water treatment chemicals that can be summarised under the term “<a href="http://iwtc.info/2005_pdf/02-5.pdf">conventional chemical oxidants</a>”, which also include oxygen, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and, in the wider sense, UV light. </p>
<p>Water is typically treated with a dose of <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781118131473">1-3mg of potassium permanganate per litre of water</a>, which is quite a small amount. But only unreacted potassium permanganate has a visible pink colour in water and is visible even at very low concentrations – as low as 0.05 mg per litre of water – so it doesn’t take much to add colour. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/160147/original/image-20170309-21022-1xics00.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Potassium permanganate in water.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/initial-color-change-chemical-chameleon-reaction-535524037?src=0MJI6UfByFAK39nt1kowvg-1-0">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since only small quantities of permanganate can change the colour of water, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S3SWzwaqce4C&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=snippet&amp;q=pink&amp;f=false">customer complaints </a>relating to residual permanganate are known to occur . This means treatment works usually take care to remove any unreacted, coloured permanganate before the water reaches consumers. </p>
<p>The pink water does not pose a threat to human health but skin irritation related to potassium permanganate is known at a certain concentration. Onoway’s mayor claimed that <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-08/pink-water-in-canadian-town-no-risk-to-public-safety/8337426">customers were not at risk</a>, however these concentrations seemed to vary – some had water merely tinted pink whereas some water was bright purple. Regardless of what shade of pink they receive, customers are advised to rely on alternative drinking water sources until the permanganate is flushed out of the distribution system. </p>
<h2>Water treatment isn’t simple</h2>
<p>For water treatment, there is no one-size fits all approach. Drinking water treatment processes vary due to different local water resources and what the traditional and established technologies are. Iron and manganese can be removed by <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781118131473">alternative methods</a>, such as aeration, which uses the oxygen present in the air, or by running the water over catalytic granules consisting of manganese dioxide. But every method has its specific advantages and disadvantages. </p>
<p>Many parameters need to be evaluated before making an informed decision on which method to use to treat a water supply – but there’s no doubt that potassium permanganate is one of the more colourful methods.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74315/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jannis Wenk receives funding from The Royal Society and the Newton Fund. </span></em></p>An expert in water science explains the mysterious chemistry behind water treatment.Jannis Wenk, Lecturer in Water Science & Engineering, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/697792016-12-02T04:55:05Z2016-12-02T04:55:05ZGreat Barrier Reef report to UN shows the poor progress on water quality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148379/original/image-20161202-25660-1ikvmwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Water quality is one of the biggest threats facing the Great Barrier Reef. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tgerus/5327345774/">Tatters ❀/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Australian and Queensland governments have delivered their <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/d12a31fc-7dac-42ae-a8c9-b39898cbfa26/files/reef-2050-update-progress.pdf">progress report</a> to the UN on the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 Plan</a> to ensure the long-term survival of the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<p>The report focuses on water quality, and managing pollution runoff, but only deals in a superficial way with the other preeminent issue for the reef - climate change.</p>
<p>It shows recent progress on water quality has been slow, and ultimately we will not meet water quality targets without major further investments. </p>
<h2>Progress?</h2>
<p>The progress report claims some success in managing water quality through improved practices in sugarcane cultivation under the SmartCane program, and in rangeland grazing. </p>
<p>But actual reductions in sediment and nutrients loads to the reef over the last two years have been very small, as shown in the <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/report-cards/2015/">Reef Report Card 2015</a>. This contrasts with the first five years of Reef Plan (2008-2013) where there was modest progress, as you can see below.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=251&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=251&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=251&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=315&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=315&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/148373/original/image-20161202-25663-386cbd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=315&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/report-cards/2015/assets/gbr-2015report-card.pdf">Great Barrier Reef Report Card 2015</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The positive news out of the Report Card was that grain cropping and non-banana horticulture were doing well, but these are the industries we have little robust data on. </p>
<p>And there’s been little progress towards adequate management practices in sugarcane and rangeland grazing as well as gully remediation in the large dry tropics catchments of the Burdekin, Fitzroy and Normanby. </p>
<p>The specific actions and funding promised in this area over the next five years mentioned in the progress report which have some real substance are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Direct a further A$110 million of <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/reef-trust">Reef Trust</a> funding towards projects to improve water</p></li>
<li><p>Bring forward the review of the <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/">Reef Water Quality Protection Plan</a> and set new scientifically based pollutant load targets</p></li>
<li><p>Invest A$33 million of Queensland government funding into two major integrated projects</p></li>
<li><p>Better prioritise of water quality as a major theme in Reef 2050 Plan.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>What we need to do</h2>
<p>However these fall far short of the real requirements to meet water quality targets on the reef, set out in the Reef 2050 Plan and the <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/">Reef Water Quality Protection Plan</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-8-2-billion-water-bill-to-clean-up-the-barrier-reef-by-2025-and-where-to-start-62685">best estimate </a> is that meeting water quality targets by 2025 will cost A$8.2 billion. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">Other estimates</a> suggest we’ll need at least A$5-10 billion over the next ten years. </p>
<p>If we assume that about A$4 billion is needed over the next five years, the amounts mentioned in the progress report (perhaps A$500-600 million at most) are obviously totally inadequate. </p>
<p>There is thus almost no chance the targets will be reached at the nominated time. </p>
<p>This reality has been <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/time-to-act-damage-to-great-barrier-reef-worse-than-thought-surveys-find-20161124-gswy1z.html">clearly acknowledged by Dr David Wachenfeld</a>, the Director of Reef Recovery at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. In fact the current progress towards the targets is so poor that we will not even get close.</p>
<p>The actions actually needed to manage water quality for the Great Barrier Reef are well known and have been published in the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/time-to-act-damage-to-great-barrier-reef-worse-than-thought-surveys-find-20161124-gswy1z.html">Queensland Science Taskforce Report</a>
and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.13262/pdf">scientific papers</a>.</p>
<p>The most important of these are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Allocate sufficient funding (A$4 billion over the next five years)</p></li>
<li><p>Use the legislative powers already available to the Australian government under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act (1975) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) to regulate agriculture and other activities in the reef’s water catchment</p></li>
<li><p>Examine seriously the need for land use change in the reef catchment. For example, we may need to look at shifting away from more intensive forms of land use such as cropping, which produce more pollutants per hectare, to less intensive activities such as beef grazing, forestry or conservation uses</p></li>
<li><p>Continue to improve land management in sugarcane, beef grazing and horticulture but acknowledge the need to extend these programs. We also need better practices in urban and coastal development</p></li>
<li><p>Critically examine the economics and environmental consequences of the further expansion of intensive agriculture in the reef’s catchment as promoted under the Australian government’s <a href="http://northernaustralia.gov.au/">Northern Australian Development Plan</a></p></li>
</ol>
<p>Progress on water quality management for the Great Barrier Reef, as clearly reported in the 2015 Report Card is poor. There is little chance we will reach the water quality targets in the next ten years, without upping our game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69779/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Brodie is also a partner in the consulting partnership C2O. See: <a href="http://www.c2o.net.au/">http://www.c2o.net.au/</a></span></em></p>Australia will almost certainly miss its water quality targets for the Great Barrier Reef.Jon Brodie, Professorial Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/676292016-11-02T19:07:30Z2016-11-02T19:07:30ZCleaning up runoff onto the Great Barrier Reef: how art and science are inspiring farmers to help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143371/original/image-20161027-11236-724eau.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish are helped by nutrient runoff. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Crown of thorns image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The most recent report card on the <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/report-cards/2015/">Great Barrier Reef’s water quality</a> highlighted major changes that need to be made to meet targets by 2018. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">Sediment and pollutant runoff from land use have increased 2-3 fold since 1850</a>, largely driven by agricultural land clearing and grazing, while fertiliser used in sugar cane farming contributes to nitrogen runoff.</p>
<p>Runoff increases coral’s sensitivity to bleaching and disease, shifts the balance between coral and algae, leads to a build-up of pollutants in marine species that are long-lived or high in the food web, and increases the chances of <a href="http://www.attenboroughsreef.com/COTS_invasion.php?title=Crown%20Of%20Thorns%20Starfish%20Invasion&amp;back=understanding_the_reef&amp;module=Sand_Dollar_Erosion">crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks</a>.</p>
<p>Improving water quality will likely <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/great-barrier-reef-outlook-report">increase the health of reef organisms</a>, and help reefs to bounce back from disturbances. </p>
<p>Government investment plans need to account properly for the total estimated value of the Great Barrier Reef and past progress in reducing runoff. An estimated <a href="http://www.australiancoralreefsociety.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=af175b32-2ad6-4e3c-b32a-958704a6c3de&amp;groupId=10136">A$500 million per year is needed</a> to improve management action. </p>
<p>So what’s the best way to meet these targets? You won’t be surprised to find that scientists are working on the answer. But innovative projects fusing art and science are also appearing in north Queensland. </p>
<h2>The problem of collective action</h2>
<p>Like many environmental issues, runoff on the Great Barrier Reef is a classic example of a collective action problem. Collective action is at the heart of this issue in two ways. </p>
<p>First, the alongshore transport of sediment and runoff pollutants by currents means that the effects of managing runoff along one section of coastline may be felt elsewhere. The condition of the reef adjacent to a particular river mouth may not, therefore, necessarily reflect the land management within that river’s catchment. </p>
<p>Second, the health of the reef is dependent on other factors, such as bleaching driven by increased sea surface temperatures related to climate change. These are caused by many geographically remote activities (for instance, someone burning coal in London). </p>
<p>Collective action problems can be understood through US academic Garret Hardin’s famous “<a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/162/3859/1243.full">tragedy of the commons</a>” theory. This theory states that self-interested individuals acting rationally may not behave in the best interests of the whole group.</p>
<p>Hardin used the example of a group of herdsmen allowing their cattle to graze a pasture that is running out of fodder. For an individual herdsman, the cost of removing cattle exceeds the benefit of leaving some pasture for the future, unless other herdsmen also agree to remove cattle.</p>
<p>Similarly, it takes an exceptional individual to reduce their runoff impacts, in light of the agricultural benefits to be gained from activities that increase runoff volume and decrease its quality (such as land clearing and use of fertilizers). This is particularly the case when others are not acting to abate their own activities. </p>
<p>Many farmers say that the Reef 2050 target to reduce runoff by 80% by 2025 is not economically viable. But without acting now, our metaphorical common (the inshore Great Barrier Reef) will continue to degrade.</p>
<h2>Best environmental practice</h2>
<p>Agriculture is a social and cultural activity, just as much as it is a process of environmental engineering, and the push to transform farming practices needs to recognise this. Top down incentive schemes do have some impact, but could there be a better way?</p>
<p>For instance, for sugar cane growers, the <a href="http://www.canegrowers.com.au/icms_docs/70456_BMP_Principles_of_BMP.pdf">Smartcane Best Management Practice (BMP) Guidelines</a> are an attempt by the industry to shift farming practices towards compliance with government directives to reduce run-off impacts on the reef. </p>
<p>The Smartcane BMP guidelines aim to improve farming practices through seven principles:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Soil health and plant nutrition management </p></li>
<li><p>Pest, disease and weed management </p></li>
<li><p>Drainage and irrigation management </p></li>
<li><p>Crop production and harvest management</p></li>
<li><p>Natural systems management</p></li>
<li><p>Farm business management</p></li>
<li><p>Workplace health and safety management</p></li>
</ol>
<p>As with many corporate social responsibility initiatives, growers who volunteer for Smartcane BMP are required to assess their current practices and set benchmarks for improvement in order to receive accreditation that indicates good environmental practice. There are clear marketing and, in many cases, cost-cutting benefits that motivate farmers to participate. </p>
<p>This has driven some examples of good practice within the farming community. However, as the 2015 report card shows, “only 23% of sugarcane land was managed using best management practice systems”, which is inadequate for achieving the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/highlights-long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 goal</a> of an 80% reduction in dissolved nitrogen loads from agricultural runoff by 2025. </p>
<h2>Motivating farmers</h2>
<p>One project which engages with this problem is <a href="http://www.sugar-vs-the-reef.net/">Sugar vs the Reef?</a> by artists Lucas Ihlein, Kim Williams and Ian Milliss. This project is based on the idea that there is a greater chance of influencing farming practices if the desire to improve environmental performance comes from within the farming community. Innovation is celebrated from below by staging public collaborative events to generate dialogue about agriculture’s complex social and environmental interactions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143283/original/image-20161026-11247-os45n4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Innovative Mackay farmers Simon Mattsson and Allan Maclean in a dual crop of sugar cane and sunflowers. The sunflowers shade out weeds, break the sugarcane monocrop by diversifying soil biology, and attract a lot of attention, triggering public discussions about the crucial role of soil health in reducing runoff to the Great Barrier Reef.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Lucas Ihlein</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, over the next two years, the project will coordinate a collaboration between Mackay Botanical Gardens, sugar cane farmers and community members to plant <a href="http://www.sugar-vs-the-reef.net/sunflowers-as-agricultural-and-cultural-change-agents/">a dual crop of sunflowers and sugar cane</a> as a highly visible work of “land art”.</p>
<p>This crop - whose cycle of planting, growth and harvesting will exceed the minimum standards of BMP - will stretch over four hectares near the centre of Mackay. Over two years, the project will engage sugarcane farmers, artists, high school students, members of the Australian South Sea Islander community, the Greater Whitsunday Food Network, soil and reef scientists, as well as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.</p>
<p>While it is easy to point the finger at agricultural practices as a major cause of poor water quality in the inner waters of the Great Barrier Reef, change will be slow until the complex social factors that shape modern farming are recognised. This requires deeper engagement with the varied cultures of farming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67629/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Hamylton is a council member of The Australian Coral Reef Society</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucas Ihlein receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) for his DECRA project &quot;Sugar vs The Reef?: Socially-engaged art and urgent environmental problems.&quot;</span></em></p>We're going to miss the Great Barrier Reef's water quality targets unless we help farmers betterSarah Hamylton, Senior Lecturer, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of WollongongLucas Ihlein, ARC DECRA Research Fellow, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/643382016-08-30T11:43:58Z2016-08-30T11:43:58ZIs economists' view of people as rational still credible?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135317/original/image-20160824-30228-1kqkhx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Decisions, decisions. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-334447535/stock-photo-business-challenge-a-businessman-navigating-through-a-maze-top-view.html?src=15k4hx96VP5Q44uAMhXdNA-1-10">pogonici</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For years, economists and psychologists have argued about whether the <a href="http://www.econlib.org/library/Marshall/marP.html">standard model</a> that economists use to explain how people make decisions is correct. It says that people make rational choices: they weigh all the options against a well-defined set of preferences to choose the one which makes them happiest, or is the most valuable to them. </p>
<p>These preferences – and what a person can afford – define what they are willing to pay for goods and services. Businesses and governments around the world use this view of human behaviour as the basis for weighing the benefits and costs of decisions affecting trillions of pounds every year. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=783&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=783&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=783&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=983&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=983&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135609/original/image-20160826-17887-hx5ysf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=983&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tenterhooks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/degust/27111844213/in/photolist-HiMhHT-dtw2tA-e1zfHG-vD18n-nLFQws-nfe5AW-mh3udM-r2vS3U-7dXfjx-5opEup-oNuX9T-nDpnvJ-qaqXgK-jE3E3G-RJvhH-ccSpYU-ccSoVw-RJjTt-bVva7Z-oiDRq2-ccSqqb-jEYf7s-ckLj7q-o5Diw5-hmRC8-qazHkJ-8eUMUP-rk6PtS-DUitdf-5uoQvf-dqUceV-oe7XCx-dpNbHj-ccSqk7-cKQC9d-ivpQh-5WuZVo-nVJzPy-gCPfy-o32nsC-HRxskw-i3dxk-31LzD4-4XMXqJ-6hwXLQ-JT4ab2-cKf2Jj-o5LmZE-4VPoyT-55FMTE">Gustav Deghilage</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Psychologists are also interested in people’s choices, particularly the effect of emotions. Much of this complements economists’ standard view of us. Take emotions related to the object of choice, for instance. If I choose to watch my local football team, part of the attraction might be knowing I will be nervous but excited. I’m making a rational choice to experience the emotion as part of the “pay-off”. </p>
<p>You can say the same about emotions that occur at the moment of decision and are directly related – we call these integral emotions. Suppose you sign up to retrain as a driving instructor. Because of the risk in changing careers, the act of signing up can evoke feelings of fear and even pleasure that help explain the choice. Where the previous example was about choosing in anticipation of excitement to come, here you experience it immediately. Again, however, it is a rational choice to experience the feeling as part of the decision. </p>
<p>But there’s a third category of emotions that should play no part in a rational choice – incidental emotions. For instance, I am very happy because my football team has won the cup and now I am choosing what to have for dinner. An economist who believes purely in rational actors would say this happiness should not affect what I eat. </p>
<p>Yet behavioural scientists have produced plenty of evidence to the contrary in recent years. They have <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930903132496">shown that</a> incidental emotions affect our judgement, decision making and reasoning. They have also <a href="http://faculty.london.edu/aedmans/Rowe.pdf">shown that</a> changes in people’s happiness can affect the stock market. </p>
<p>This has not been the only challenge to economists’ standard model. Behavioural scientists and psychologists <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-014-9783-y">have also</a> demonstrated that context can affect decisions – for instance, that people can view choices differently over time – and that we perceive gains and losses differently. Yet these insights are not inconsistent with rational choices. Economists have used them <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-014-9783-y">to refine</a> their theories and data analysis. </p>
<p>Incidental emotions are more of a problem. If our choices can be governed by unrelated emotions, we are not always rational after all and economists’ tools based on rational choice are undermined. Perhaps for this reason, economists have never to my knowledge taken these findings any further. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=533&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=533&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135318/original/image-20160824-30231-13gng28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=533&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Not so rational now …</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-103476707/stock-photo-stock-market-arrow-graph-going-down-on-blue-display.html?src=etIzvwIrYnNg4utAPEocdA-1-16">JMaks</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Choice and the environment</h2>
<p>While the lifeblood of micro economics is consumer behaviour, rational choice has also been used to explain other kinds of human choices and values. For example economists <a href="http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/pricing-nature">have been using</a> it since the 1970s in relation to how we value environmental “goods” such as cutting air pollution or protecting wilderness. </p>
<p>One method is to ask people to state a maximum they would be willing to pay for a certain product if it were the only way of securing a particular environmental goal. Policy developers and environmental managers have adopted this to provide evidence about the economic benefits of such goals. For example the UK Environment Agency <a href="http://opus.bath.ac.uk/9856/">values</a> improvements to river quality in this way. </p>
<p>But is it right to assume people will choose rationally here? Since incidental emotions appear capable of interfering with our purchasing choices, won’t they affect our environmental “choices”, too? My new <a href="https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/sad-or-happy-the-effects-of-emotions-on-stated-preferences-for-environmental-goods(19e1467e-476b-4202-8a06-947b9e4220d7).html">co-authored paper</a> sought to find out. </p>
<p>We used a laboratory setting at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, where I was a visiting professor. Our 284 student participants first viewed one of three film clips, since films are a good way of <a href="http://philpapers.org/rec/SCHATE-2">inducing</a> particular emotional states. One group watched a happy clip from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314331/">Love Actually</a>; another group watched a sad clip from <a href="http://gb.imdb.com/title/tt0096969/">Born on the Fourth of July</a>; while a third group watched a neutral clip of stock market reports and golf instructions. </p>
<p>All students then took part in a choice experiment about New Zealand beaches. They had to choose between different packages of environmental attributes
related to water quality, sediment levels and fish populations. Some packages were environmentally better overall, while some were a mixed bag. They might choose a package with rising fish populations, high sediment and medium water quality or one with decreasing fish, low sediment and high quality – and so on. </p>
<p>The “price” for each package was to live a certain distance from the beach. Securing better environmental attributes meant choosing to live further away, and hence accepting higher travel costs. The question for each student was how much they were willing to pay and whether they prioritised some benefits over others. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=386&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=386&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=386&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=485&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=485&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135319/original/image-20160824-30246-14of7vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=485&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Deal or no deal?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-359810489/stock-photo-a-woman-walking-on-the-beach-with-her-dog-this-image-has-added-grain-and-styling.html?src=gv4w6475iUoZKvYTCoh-PQ-2-88">Duncan Andison</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To our surprise, the participants’ emotional state had no significant effect on their choice. Having ruled out the possibility that the films had not worked, our results appear to go against psychologists’ findings about incidental emotions and instead endorse rational choice. Why?</p>
<p>It might be because people were being asked to make choices over a public good where many people would benefit. Emotions may have a different effect on our choices over public goods than private goods. Or it could be because our participants were making choices about intentions. There’s a well-developed <a href="https://cas.hse.ru/data/816/479/1225/Oct%2019%20Cited%20%231%20Manage%20THE%20THEORY%20OF%20PLANNED%20BEHAVIOR.pdf">body of theory</a> that questions the link between what we intend and what we do. </p>
<p>In short, more work is required to understand how our findings fit into the developing picture about people’s choices. The difference between public and private goods looks a particularly worthwhile avenue. If economists’ view of behaviour is to remain credible, it is time they examined this area. </p>
<p>In the meantime, we are looking into another area where insights from behavioural science and psychology are ripe for consideration by economists: how choices are affected by your personality type.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64338/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas Hanley receives funding from the ESRC, NERC, BBSRC, Leverhulme Trust, European Investment Bank and Scottish Funding Council.</span></em></p>The idea that we make rational choices is the basis for how businesses and governments make their plans. But psychologists have been asking some awkward questions.Nicholas Hanley, Professor of Environmental Economics, University of St AndrewsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/626852016-08-11T20:04:05Z2016-08-11T20:04:05ZThe $8.2 billion water bill to clean up the Barrier Reef by 2025 – and where to start<p>In 2015, the Australian and Queensland governments agreed on targets to <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/reef-2050-long-term-sustainability-plan">greatly reduce the sediment and nutrient pollutants</a> flowing onto the Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>What we do on land has a real impact out on the reef: sediments can smother the corals, while high nutrient levels help to trigger more regular and larger outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish. This damage leaves the Great Barrier Reef even more vulnerable to climate change, storms, cyclones and other impacts. </p>
<p>Dealing with water quality alone isn’t enough to protect the reef, as many others have <a href="https://theconversation.com/great-barrier-reef-pollution-controls-are-not-enough-heres-what-we-can-do-52861">pointed out before</a>. But it is an essential ingredient in making it more resilient. </p>
<p>The water quality targets call for sediment runoff to be reduced by up to 50% below 2009 levels by 2025, and for nitrogen levels to be cut by up to 80% over the same period. But so far, detailed information about the costs of achieving these targets has not been available.</p>
<p>Both the Australian and Queensland governments have committed more funding to improve water quality on the reef. In addition, the Queensland government established the <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/taskforce/">Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce</a>, a panel of 21 experts from science, industry, conservation and government, led by Queensland Chief Scientist Geoff Garrett and funded by Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.</p>
<p>New work commissioned by the taskforce now gives us an idea of the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/highlights-long-term-sustainability-plan">likely cost of meeting those reef water quality targets</a>.</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/costings-report.pdf">groundbreaking study</a>, which drew on the expertise of water quality researchers, economists and “paddock to reef” modellers, has found that investing A$8.2 billion would get us to those targets by the 2025 deadline, albeit with a little more to be done in the Wet Tropics.</p>
<p>That A$8.2 billion cost is half the size of the estimates of between A$16 billion and A$17 billion discussed in a draft-for-comment report produced in May 2016, which were <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-02/great-barrier-reef-pollution-fight-could-cost-billions/7469740">reported by the ABC</a> and other media.</p>
<p>Those draft figures did not take into account the reductions in pollution already achieved between 2009 and 2013. They also included full steps of measures that then exceeded the targets. A full review process identified these, and now this modelling gives a more accurate estimate of what it would cost to deliver the targets using the knowledge and technology available today.</p>
<h2>A future for farming</h2>
<p>Importantly, the research confirms that a well-managed agricultural sector can continue to coexist with a healthy reef through improvements to land management practices. </p>
<p>Even more heartening is the report’s finding that we can get halfway to the nitrogen and sediment targets by spending around A$600 million in the most cost-effective areas. This is very important because prioritising these areas enables significant improvement while allowing time to focus on finding solutions that will more cost-effectively close the remaining gap.</p>
<p>Among those priority solutions are improving land and farm management practices, such as adopting best management practices among cane growers to reduce fertiliser loss, and in grazing to reduce soil loss. </p>
<p>While these actions have been the focus of many water quality programs to date, much more can be done. For example, we can have a significant impact on pollutants in the Great Barrier Reef water catchments by achieving much higher levels of adoption and larger improvements to practices such as maintaining grass cover in grazing areas and reducing and better targeting fertiliser use in cane and other cropping settings. These activities will be a focus of the two major integrated projects that will result from the taskforce’s recommendations.</p>
<h2>A new agenda</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/costings-report.pdf">new study</a>, produced by environmental consultancy <a href="http://www.alluvium.com.au/">Alluvium</a> and a range of other researchers (and for which I was one of the <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/external-review-report.pdf">external peer reviewers</a>), is significant because nothing on this scale involving the Great Barrier Reef and policy costings has been done before.</p>
<p>Guidelines already <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/taskforce/final-report/">released by the taskforce</a> tell us a lot about what we need to do to protect the reef. Each of its ten recommendations now has <a href="http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/8/11/government-agrees-to-all-reef-taskforce-recommendations">formal government agreement and implementation has begun</a>.</p>
<p>Alluvium’s consultants and other experts who contributed to the study – including researchers from <a href="https://www.cqu.edu.au/">CQ University</a> and <a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/">James Cook University</a> – were asked to investigate how much could be achieved, and at what price, by action in the following seven areas:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Land management practice change for cane and grazing</p></li>
<li><p>Improved irrigation practices</p></li>
<li><p>Gully remediation</p></li>
<li><p>Streambank repair</p></li>
<li><p>Wetland construction</p></li>
<li><p>Changes to land use</p></li>
<li><p>Urban stormwater management</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Those seven areas for potential action were chosen on the basis of modelling data and expert opinion as the most feasible to achieve the level of change required to achieve the targets. By modelling the cost of delivering these areas and the change to nutrient and sediments entering the reef, the consultants were able to identify which activities were cheapest through to the most expensive across five catchment areas (Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay-Whitsunday, Fitzroy and Burnett Mary).</p>
<p>Alluvium’s study confirmed the water science taskforce’s <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/gbrwst-finalreport-2016.pdf">recommendation</a> that investing in some catchments and activities along the Great Barrier Reef is likely to prove more valuable than in others, in both an environmental and economic sense. </p>
<p>Some actions have much lower costs and are more certain; these should be implemented first. Other actions are much more expensive. Of the total A$8.2 billion cost of meeting the targets, two-thirds (A$5.59 billion) could be spent on addressing gully remediation in just one water catchment (the Fitzroy region). Projects with such high costs are impractical and highly unlikely to be implemented at the scale required.</p>
<p>The Alluvium study suggests we would be wise not to invest too heavily in some costly repair measures such as wetland construction for nutrient removal just yet – at least until we have exhausted all of the cheaper options, tried to find other cost-effective ways of reaching the targets, and encouraged innovative landholders and other entrepreneurs to try their hand at finding ways to reduce costs.</p>
<h2>The value of a healthier reef</h2>
<p>The A$8.2 billion funding requirement between now and 2025 is large, but let’s look at it in context. It’s still significantly less than the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/infrastrucutre-investment-%20murray-darling-basin-fact-sheet">A$13 billion</a> that the Australian government is investing in the Murray-Darling Basin.</p>
<p>It would also be an important investment in protecting the more than <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/a3ef2e3f-37fc-%204c6f-ab1b-3b54ffc3f449/files/gbr-economic-%20contribution.pdf">A$5 billion a year</a> that the reef generates for the Australian economy and for Queensland communities.</p>
<p>The immediate focus should be on better allocating available funds and looking for more effective solutions to meet the targets to protect the reef. More work is still needed to ensure we do so. </p>
<p>If we start by targeting the most cost-effective A$1 billion-worth of measures, that should get us more than halfway towards achieving the 2025 targets. The challenge now is to develop <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/gbrwst-finalreport-2016.pdf">new ideas and solutions</a> to deliver those expensive last steps in improving water quality. The Alluvium report provides a valuable tool long-term to ensure the most cost-effective interventions are chosen to protect the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was written with contributions from Geoff Garrett, Stuart Whitten, Steve Skull, Euan Morton, Tony Weber and Christine Williams.</em></p>
<p><em>Read more of The Conversation’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/great-barrier-reef">Great Barrier Reef</a> coverage, including articles by experts including <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jon-brodie-%208141/articles">Jon Brodie</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ove-hoegh-%20guldberg-2012/articles">Ove Hoegh-Guldberg</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62685/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Rolfe has previously received funding from the National Environmental Research Program and the National Environmental Science Program for economic studies evaluating the costs and benefits of reef protection.</span></em></p>A groundbreaking new economic study has found that investing A$8.2 billion would get us very close to hitting targets to cut water pollution into the Great Barrier Reef by 2025.John Rolfe, Professor of Regional Economic Development, School of Business and Law, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/619732016-07-19T10:07:46Z2016-07-19T10:07:46ZWhy toxic algae blooms like Florida’s are so dangerous to people and wildlife<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130974/original/image-20160718-1906-1abr85k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Detail from a satellite photo of Lake Okeechobee&#39;s algae bloom and the St. Lucie canal into which water was released. Rising water levels from heavy winter rains had water managers worried that water would breach the dike.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88311">NASA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Reported cases of algal blooms, when algae grow rapidly from an influx of nutrients in waterways, have been rising at an <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/321/5891/926">exponential rate</a> in recent decades. Industrialized countries have the highest incidence with North America, Europe and eastern Asia being hotbeds for new cases <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996450/">due to runoff</a> from industry and cities as well as these areas’ intensive use of manufactured fertilizers.</p>
<p>These events often cause a noticeable change in the color and smell of natural water bodies and may be accompanied by highly visible fish kills or even respiratory distress in humans who inhale tiny, aerosol particles created by wind and waves.</p>
<p>A highly visible new case recently developed in Florida, where a particularly intense bloom of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) formed in Lake Okeechobee, the largest freshwater lake in the state. As is often the case with today’s larger, more intense blooms, the event was visible to satellites orbiting in space. This year’s Lake Okeechobee bloom was <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88311">first noticed</a> on Landsat 8 images during early May 2016 and persisted through at least midsummer.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFNc9gPi5dA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</figure>
<p>While blooms of this nature are not uncommon in Lake Okeechobee, this one received more attention because of its intensity and size – it covered 33 square miles. Also, the bloom was exported to the coast when water managers released water from Lake Okeechobee in response to several months of heavy rainfall and <a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-algae-fighting-measures-20160714-story.html">concerns</a> that rising water levels in the lake, which is contained by a dike, would cause flooding.</p>
<p>Upon reaching the coast through two man-made diversions that short-circuit the lake’s natural, southerly flow to the Everglades, the bloom persisted instead of dispersing, causing economic damage to local tourism, fishing and boating businesses. Florida’s governor subsequently declared a state of emergency in three of the hardest-hit counties on the Atlantic coast and in one county on the Gulf coast.</p>
<p>Apart from the economic damages, Floridians are also bothered by the environmental degradation these events cause. What are the environmental and health dangers from this sort of large-scale algal bloom?</p>
<h2>Bloom types and basic bloom mechanics</h2>
<p>Blue-green algae are one of three types of single-celled algae that frequently cause harmful blooms in coastal waters. In Florida and elsewhere, the blue-greens tend to bloom in fresh water and at the upper ends of estuaries, near where freshwater runoff first starts to mix with coastal seawater. The other two algal types, diatoms and dinoflagellates, tend to bloom at more seaward locations (especially the dinoflagellates). </p>
<p>While the fundamental causes of coastal algal blooms are well understood, there is considerable uncertainty about the details. A large part of the debate involves determining which cocktail of nutrients – whether it’s nitrate, ammonia, orthophosphate or organic nutrients such as urea – promotes one particular bloom type over another.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130975/original/image-20160718-2138-hbvp6k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Algae blooms from excess nutrients in the waterways are common and becoming more common in developed countries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Florida_Algae_Bloom_01.jpg">John Moran/EPA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the well-understood fundamentals about algal blooms is that land use has a strong bearing on the types of nutrients that are delivered downstream to bloom-prone water bodies. </p>
<p>Urban development introduces new nutrients from sewage, manufactured fertilizer and rain-borne emissions from burned fuel to downstream parts of local drainage basins. Agriculture, especially row crops, can introduce manufactured fertilizer in large amounts to drainage basins. Intensive animal feed lots may also introduce excessive nutrients; <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/technology/article32817855.html">hog farms in North Carolina </a> and <a href="http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/9101QS95.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&amp;Client=EPA&amp;Index=Prior+to+1976&amp;Docs=&amp;Query=&amp;Time=&amp;EndTime=&amp;SearchMethod=1&amp;TocRestrict=n&amp;Toc=&amp;TocEntry=&amp;QField=&amp;QFieldYear=&amp;QFieldMonth=&amp;QFieldDay=&amp;IntQFieldOp=0&amp;ExtQFieldOp=0&amp;XmlQuery=&amp;File=D%3A%5Czyfiles%5CIndex%20Data%5C70thru75%5CTxt%5C00000025%5C9101QS95.txt&amp;User=ANONYMOUS&amp;Password=anonymous&amp;SortMethod=h%7C-&amp;MaximumDocuments=1&amp;FuzzyDegree=0&amp;ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&amp;Display=p%7Cf&amp;DefSeekPage=x&amp;SearchBack=ZyActionL&amp;Back=ZyActionS&amp;BackDesc=Results%20page&amp;MaximumPages=1&amp;ZyEntry=1&amp;SeekPage=x&amp;ZyPURL">duck farms on Long Island</a> are two well-known examples of intensive animal production leading to harmful algal blooms and lowered water quality. In Florida’s case, intensive feed lots are not common, but the other two land-use types are.</p>
<p>Also well-understood is that water stagnation encourages blooms by giving the algae enough time to remain in calm surface waters where the light needed for photosynthesis is most abundant. In Florida and elsewhere, water is withdrawn from rivers and streams for various municipal, agricultural and industrial purposes, and these withdrawals tend to increase the incidence of stagnation. On the other hand, there are coastal areas both inside and outside of Florida that are relatively immune to stagnation and algal-bloom formation because tidal flushing is strong there.</p>
<p>Once blooms have formed, they can have two types of effects, indirect and direct. The most prominent indirect effect is low dissolved oxygen in the water, or hypoxia. During a bloom, the algae produce dissolved oxygen while they photosynthesize during the day, but then consume dissolved oxygen at night in the dark as they respire.</p>
<p>Although the balance between these two opposing processes (photosynthesis vs. respiration) can be either positive or negative, the trend toward hypoxia becomes stronger as the algae from the bloom start to die off and decompose. First, the sick and dying cells stop producing as much oxygen through photosynthesis, and then the total amount of respiration surges once nonphotosynthetic bacteria start to break down the newly abundant, dead algae cells for food. </p>
<p>Hypoxia can lasts minutes to months, but is nearly permanent in some bodies of water.</p>
<h2>Harms to many organisms</h2>
<p>Why should we be concerned about hypoxia? Basically, the answer is that hypoxia determines which animals can survive in a given body of water.</p>
<p>Hypoxia and anoxia (the complete absence of dissolved oxygen) kill aquatic organisms of all sizes, but the less-mobile bottom animals are usually the first to go. In some cases, hypoxia/anoxia spreads throughout much of the water body, resulting in fish kills. Even if fish kills do not occur, the likely loss of bottom animals eliminates a critically important food supply for the fish community.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130976/original/image-20160718-2150-1e4xckx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The algae bloom this summer was so large in Lake Okeechobee that it was visible from space.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=88311">NASA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many aquatic animals, especially larger predators such as fish, obtain their energy from food webs that include bottom animals; even fish and other aquatic animals that do not eat bottom animals directly may be affected. A <a href="http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/57/4/1091.full.pdf">study of European fisheries</a> revealed that this food-web effect translated into a dramatically changed composition of the fish community over a period of decades. As algal blooms became more common, highly valued fish that were once abundant in the harvest became scarce.</p>
<p>Toxicity, however, is the most direct effect of algal blooms. Some types of bloom are never toxic, but still cause harmful hypoxia, and others are toxic in some cases but not others. </p>
<p>Blooms of algal types such as the red tide organism (<em>Karenia brevis</em>, a dinoflagellate) always appear to be toxic once the blooms exceed a threshold density of cells. <em>Karenia</em>’s toxic product, brevitoxin, mostly kills fish, although other marine life, including dolphins and manatees, have also been killed by red tide. Nutrients released from the decomposing fish are believed to prolong the blooms.</p>
<p>The toxins from various types of algal blooms can become dangerously concentrated within shellfish, especially filter-feeding clams, mussels, oysters and scallops. While the detection of blooms often leads to the closure of shellfish beds by authorities, human deaths have occurred in areas where such regulation does not exist, and also in areas where new blooms are believed to be forming for the first time, catching people off-guard.</p>
<p>One study identified 2,124 cases of saxitoxin poisoning in the Philippines, with <a href="http://ojs.wpro.who.int/ojs/index.php/wpsar/article/view/302/485">120 deaths between 1983 and 2002</a>. These cases were attributed to <em>Pyrodinium bahamense</em>, the same dinoflagellate that blooms intensively in Tampa Bay, apparently without becoming very toxic (yet). </p>
<p>Researchers are starting to suspect that asthma and other human respiratory ailments are <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2683400/">more related to algal blooms than previously believed</a>. Also, there is concern that with continued environmental change, blooms that are presently mildly toxic could become far more toxic in the future. </p>
<h2>Possible remedies</h2>
<p>Given these economic, environmental, and human-health impacts at the coast, what can be done? In Florida, managers release freshwater from the interior to the coast for flood control and water supply. But ecosystem health at the coast must also be managed. </p>
<p>In accordance with the U.S. Clean Water Act, the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program, which sets pollution limits in bodies of water, is being implemented to lessen the nutrient runoff that fuels algal blooms. The TMDL program provides a geographic accounting of pollutant sources, including excessive nutrient runoff. Yet new blooms keep forming.</p>
<p>In addition to TMDLs, further development and implementation of <a href="https://theconversation.com/forecasting-dead-zones-and-toxic-algae-in-us-waterways-a-bad-year-for-lake-erie-43747">best management practices for agricultural and urban land use</a> needs to continue with the goal of curbing excessive nutrient runoff, particularly during rainy periods.</p>
<p>Detailed computer models of water circulation should be used more routinely in the course of water management to predict where coastal algal blooms are likely to form. Finally, natural wetland buffers should be used to intercept nutrients before they reach the coast (provided this does not cause a different set of problems in the interior), and the construction of <a href="https://theconversation.com/reducing-water-pollution-with-microbes-and-wood-chips-58852">engineered treatment wetlands</a> should be considered.</p>
<p>In the Lake Okeechobee case, restoration of flow to the Everglades may go a long way toward solving Florida’s current problems at the coast.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61973/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ernst B Peebles received funding from the South Florida Water Management District via a subcontract under Florida Gulf Coast University to research algal blooms in the Caloosahatchee River estuary, Florida.</span></em></p>Toxic algae blooms like the intense one now fouling Florida’s waterways harm wildlife and people in various ways. They're also on the rise.Ernst B. Peebles, Associate Professor of Biological Oceanography, University of South FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/609272016-06-21T05:15:46Z2016-06-21T05:15:46ZPolicyCheck: What are the parties really offering to save the Great Barrier Reef?<p>The Great Barrier Reef has become a major issue in the federal election campaign, with the stakes raised by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/coral-bleaching-taskforce-more-than-1-000-km-of-the-great-barrier-reef-has-bleached-57282">most severe bleaching ever documented</a> and suggestions that the next few years will be our <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-election-is-our-last-chance-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef-59381">last chance</a> to avert major damage to this World Heritage-listed icon. </p>
<p>Last week, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and federal environment minister Greg Hunt announced a further commitment of <a href="https://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2016/06/13/coalition-deliver-1-billion-boost-protect-great-barrier-reef">up to A$1 billion over ten years</a>, from an existing A$10 billion “special account” administered by the <a href="http://www.cleanenergyfinancecorp.com.au/">Clean Energy Finance Corporation</a>.</p>
<p>Turnbull said that this new Reef Fund will provide loans to finance more energy- and water-efficient irrigation systems on farms, as well as improved pesticide and fertiliser application systems. He also raised the possibility of the fund being used to finance solar panels on farms, saying:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Reef Fund will support clean energy projects in the Reef catchment. It will finance solar panels and other renewable energy substitutes on farms as well as more energy efficient equipment in agriculture, local government and tourism.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The government says that this financing will be on top of A$461 million already pledged for the Great Barrier Reef, currently planned to be spent on incentive programs to help farmers move to more “water quality friendly” management practices as has been happening over the past seven years.</p>
<p>Labor, for its part, has <a href="http://www.100positivepolicies.org.au/great_barrier_reef_plan_fact_sheet">pledged A$500 million over five years</a> – including A$123 million as a continuation of an existing Coalition pledge – to be split between scientific research, pollution reduction and restoration projects, and reef management.</p>
<h2>Is this enough money?</h2>
<p>We already have relatively robust estimates of the funds needed to bring the reef’s water quality into line with the government’s official water quality guidelines <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/4526/GBRMPA_WQualityGuidelinesGBRMP_RevEdition_2010.pdf">set by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in 2010</a>. Unfortunately, we also know it will cost much more than either major party has pledged so far. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">One estimate</a> (on which I worked) puts the cost at between A$5 billion and A$10 billion over ten years. These amounts are far in excess of the current spending trajectory, based on what has already been spent: just under half a billion dollars on farming and water-quality management, as outlined above.</p>
<p>This funding has achieved <a href="http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/measuring-success/report-cards/2014/">some limited success</a> in reducing pollution on the Great Barrier Reef. But it is now clear that much more funding and regulation will be needed to meet the required water quality guidelines.</p>
<h2>How much money have the parties pledged?</h2>
<p>Financial commitments, both in government budgets and election pledges, are difficult to assess accurately. Funding can be committed across several budgets, and it is important to distinguish between no-strings funding and loan financing.</p>
<p>Here is a breakdown of what the three leading parties are promising to deliver.</p>
<p><strong>The Coalition</strong> will spend A$450 million over 6 years (from various programs including Reef Trust and Reef Plan) or about A$350 million over 5 years (from this July) plus the new A$1 billion loan facility, which will be portioned out over 10 years. </p>
<p><strong>Labor</strong> has made a A$500-million, five-year commitment, albeit contingent on maintaining A$123 million of funding previously pledged by the Coalition, with A$377 million representing newly pledged funds.</p>
<p>Labor’s half-billion-dollar total can be broken down into A$377 million of direct, on-ground spending plus other current ongoing budget funding. The other roughly A$130 million is designated for research and organisational management. </p>
<p><strong>The Greens</strong> have <a href="http://greens.org.au/save-the-reef">pledged</a> A$500 million in new funding, to be spent on improved farming practices and other land restoration projects, plus a A$1.2-billion loan facility to help farmers transition to low-pollution farming methods. Both schemes would be administered over five years.</p>
<p>The Greens have also promised to retain A$370 million in existing funding for water-quality projects, which it says brings its total financial plan for the reef to more than A$2 billion.</p>
<p>The Greens have also promised to use the law to protect the reef, by using the powers of the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016C00551">GBR Marine Park Act of 1975</a> to regulate polluting activities in the reef’s nearby river catchments. Tightening these regulations could <a href="https://theconversation.com/great-barrier-reef-pollution-controls-are-not-enough-heres-what-we-can-do-52861">help to reduce pollution faster</a>, potentially reducing the amount of money needed to hit the reef’s pollution targets.</p>
<p>The Queensland government has also <a href="http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/5/25/reef-water-science-taskforce-report-guides-90m-investment">allocated A$90 million</a> to spend on direct water quality improvement measures over the next few years. It will also use its regulatory powers under the state’s <a href="https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/ACTS/2009/09AC042.pdf">Great Barrier Reef Protection Amendment Act of 2009</a> to improve the region’s farming practices.</p>
<h2>Loans and profits</h2>
<p>One large question hanging over the the Coalition and Greens’ loan pledges is whether farmers will be keen to accept this financing, even at “low” interest rates. As many farmers are currently unwilling even to accept grant money to improve practices which provide them with little financial benefit, it is difficult to foresee a wide takeup of a loan facility. </p>
<p>Many environmentally beneficial changes to farm practice bring no net profit for the farmers themselves. Farming lobby group Canegrowers has <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-13/canegrowers-says-coalition-reef-fund-plan-lacks-detail/7506456">questioned whether this is the best approach</a>, arguing that the industry would rather receive dollar-matching grants than loans.</p>
<p>The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is currently providing loans via the major banks to allow farmers to invest in energy-efficient equipment, with interest rates discounted by up to 70 basis points relative to commercial rates. This would be the model that would most likely be followed for the new proposal. </p>
<p>Future loans doled out under the Coalition’s A$1 billion fund would need to remain within the CEFC’s broad <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L00714">investment mandate</a> of funding projects and technologies that reduce greenhouse emissions. Thus, more efficient fertiliser use, higher-efficiency irrigation pumps, and low-till cropping would all fit the bill. </p>
<p>It is unclear, however, whether other farming improvements that could benefit the reef – such as gully stabilisation or repair – would be judged to come under the mandate of the CEFC loans, or whether they might be excluded.</p>
<p>Regardless, the proposed loan program will still not put nearly enough funds into what is a pressing issue, and a parallel system of focused grants for individual pollution-reduction projects would seem to us to be a sensible approach.</p>
<p>Without stronger regulation (which only the Greens are suggesting) and considerably more funding than any of the main parties is yet willing to provide – not to mention stronger action on emissions reductions throughout the economy – none of these policies promises a particularly rosy future for the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<p><em>This article was co-written by David Rickards, Managing Director of <a href="http://sefa.com.au/">Social Enterprise Finance Australia</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60927/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Brodie receives research funding from the Australian and Queensland Governments, the UN, Bancroft Station Wines, Queensland NRM bodies such as the NQ Dry Tropics NRM Group. </span></em></p>The Coalition has ramped up the race to fund the Great Barrier Reef's protection. All three major parties have promised hundreds of millions of dollars, but where from, and what will they be spent on?Jon Brodie, Chief Research Scientist, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/609302016-06-15T20:10:22Z2016-06-15T20:10:22ZCould 'nitrogen trading' help the Great Barrier Reef?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/126669/original/image-20160615-22404-19ouodq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A market that lets sugar cane farmers trade &#39;nitrogen permits&#39; could help keep a cap on fertiliser use.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">iStock</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Among the increasing sums of money being pledged to help save the Great Barrier Reef is a federal government pledge to spend <a href="http://www.malcolmturnbull.com.au/media/coalition-to-deliver-1-billion-boost-to-protect-great-barrier-reef">A$40 million</a> on improving water quality. The Queensland government has promised another <a href="http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2016/5/25/reef-water-science-taskforce-report-guides-90m-investment">A$33.5 million</a> for the same purpose. </p>
<p>One of the biggest water-quality concerns is <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/taskforce/">nitrogen runoff</a> from fertiliser use. It is a concern all along the reef coast, and particularly in the sugar-cane regions of the Wet Tropics and the Burdekin. The government’s <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan</a> calls for an 80% reduction in dissolved inorganic nitrogen flowing out onto the reef by 2025. </p>
<p>Our recent <a href="http://nesptropical.edu.au/index.php/round-1-projects/project-2-2/">research</a> suggests that “nitrogen trading” might be worth considering as a flexible economic mechanism to help farmers deliver these much-needed reductions in fertiliser use.</p>
<h2>What is nitrogen trading?</h2>
<p>You probably already know about <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/emissions-trading-scheme">carbon trading</a>, which allows polluters to buy the right to emit greenhouse gases from those with spare carbon credits. Nitrogen trading would work in a similar way, but for fertiliser use.</p>
<p>A nitrogen market could offer a flexible way of encouraging farmers to use fertiliser more efficiently, as well as rewarding innovations in farming practice. It could be a useful addition to existing fertiliser-reduction schemes such as the industry-led <a href="https://www.smartcane.com.au/LatestNews/LatestNews.aspx">Smart Cane Best Management Practice</a>. These are making headway but <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/gbrwst-interim-report-highres.pdf">evidently not enough</a>.</p>
<p>A nitrogen market isn’t going to happen tomorrow, but it could be part of <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/documents/gbrwst-finalreport-2016.pdf">a future in which an annual limit</a> (called a cap) is set on the total amount of nitrogen flowing out from river catchments to the reef. </p>
<p>One way to enforce this cap would be to set a limit on fertiliser applications per hectare. Cane farmers would have to manage the best they could with that fixed amount of nitrogen.</p>
<p>But nitrogen trading would offer more flexibility, while still staying under the same total nitrogen cap. Instead of a fixed limit, farmers would receive a certain number of “nitrogen permits” per hectare of cane. Then, if they wanted or needed to, they could buy or sell these permits through a centralised online “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_market">smart market</a>”.</p>
<h2>How would it work?</h2>
<p>Imagine you’re a farmer with a property that sits on good soil. The amount of fertiliser you can apply to your crop must match the number of nitrogen permits you hold. But you know that, on your good land, you would get more profits if you could apply more fertiliser. </p>
<p>To do this you would have to buy extra permits through the nitrogen market. These extra permits would be worth buying as long as they deliver more than enough extra profit to cover the cost.</p>
<p>The total number of permits is limited by the cap – so buyers can only buy extra permits if other farmers are selling them. So who’s selling?</p>
<p>Putting fertiliser onto a field with poor soil won’t increase your profits as much, because a lot of that fertiliser will just run off before the crop can use it. On a bad paddock, nitrogen permits aren’t worth much in terms of extra crop yield, so you might make more money by just selling them to other farmers with good paddocks. That is why trading happens.</p>
<p>The overall effect of this trading would be to switch a significant amount of nitrogen fertiliser away from less profitable, leaky soils, and onto more profitable, less leaky land. As a result, the total nitrogen cap would be distributed more efficiently across the farming landscape. </p>
<p>For individual farmers, the reward for low-nitrogen farming practice is the opportunity to sell unused permits at a profit. This incentive will help to drive ongoing improvement and innovation. </p>
<p><a href="http://nesptropical.edu.au/index.php/round-1-projects/project-2-2/">Our simulations</a> suggest that overall sugar cane profits and production would be higher with trading than they would under a fixed per-hectare nitrogen limit – with the same overall cap on the amount of nitrogen hitting the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<h2>Opportunity for the future?</h2>
<p>Will it just mean more expensive regulation, green tape and hassle for farmers? Farmers are already signing up to calculate and <a href="https://www.smartcane.com.au/LatestNews/LatestNews.aspx">record actual fertiliser applications paddock by paddock</a> under the <a href="http://www.sugarresearch.com.au/icms_docs/158108_Six_Easy_Steps_nutrient_management_completed.pdf">Six Easy Steps</a> nutrient management program. </p>
<p>If we’re in a future where the government is monitoring and managing a fixed nitrogen cap anyway, then not much extra work is needed to set up an online trading market.</p>
<p>So could nitrogen trading help the Great Barrier Reef? Maybe. There’s more thinking still to be done, but nitrogen trading schemes are already operating in <a href="http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Community/Your-community/For-Farmers/Taupo/Nitrogen-management-in-the-Lake-Taupo-catchment/">New Zealand</a> and the <a href="http://www.mdnutrienttrading.com/">United States</a>. </p>
<p>A firm overall limit on fertiliser use seems to be <a href="https://theconversation.com/cloudy-issue-we-need-to-fix-the-barrier-reefs-murky-waters-39380">essential for the reef’s survival</a>. The incentives provided by a nitrogen market could give Queensland’s farmers the flexibility they need to thrive in this nitrogen-constrained future.</p>
<p><em>Graeme Curwen and
Michele Burford of the <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/environment-planning-architecture/australian-rivers-institute">Australian Rivers Institute</a> at Griffith University contributed to the research on which this article is based.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60930/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jim Smart receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program - Tropical Water Quality Hub and Seqwater.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Volders receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program - Tropical Water Quality Hub. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Fleming receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program - Tropical Water Quality Hub, the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, the Australian Government Department of the Environment and the Worldwide Wildlife Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Syezlin Hasan receives funding from the National Environmental Science Program - Tropical Water Quality Hub.</span></em></p>You've heard of cap-and-trade schemes for greenhouse gases. Perhaps we also need one to limit the amount of fertiliser runoff onto the Great Barrier Reef.Jim Smart, Senior Lecturer, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith UniversityAdrian Volders, Adjunct Professor, Griffith UniversityChris Fleming, Associate Professor, Griffith UniversitySyezlin Hasan, Research Assistant, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/598272016-05-25T06:06:20Z2016-05-25T06:06:20ZQueensland commits to fixing water quality in the Great Barrier Reef<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123906/original/image-20160525-25213-1phjnwt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fixing water pollution on the Great Barrier Reef will take a huge effort. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reef image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Current measures are not enough to protect the Great Barrier Reef, according to experts in a government report released today.</p>
<p>After a year of careful analysis, the <a href="http://www.gbr.qld.gov.au/taskforce/">Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce</a> has delivered its final report to the Queensland environment minister, Steven Miles. This is part of efforts to resource the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan</a>, which was designed to meet the challenges facing the reef.</p>
<p>The report is part of the response to the United Nations’ concerns that the reef is in danger of irreparable damage – with declining water quality from farming and land-use change being a major driver. The reef narrowly <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-barrier-reef-is-not-listed-as-in-danger-but-the-threats-remain-42548">missed being listed as “in danger”</a> in 2015. </p>
<p>The Queensland government has committed A$90 million over the next four years specifically for water quality. The federal government has also committed funding, but it remains to be seen how much will be directed specifically to water quality concerns. </p>
<p>The report recommends the money should be directed at understanding and beginning to reverse the impact of sediment and nutrient from rivers flowing into the Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>By any degree, the taskforce has done well in terms of bringing together a wide range of opinions and perspectives on a potentially contentious issue — views that are unified around the report’s conclusions. </p>
<p>While the report is not about climate change, climate change is critically important to whether the plan will ultimately succeed or fail. Stronger storms, floods, droughts and underwater heatwaves will all make the task of solving the water quality issue even harder.</p>
<p>So there is an assumption that we will beat the climate change challenge through mechanisms such as the international commitments that Australia agreed to under the <a href="https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09.pdf">Paris Agreement</a> in December 2015. </p>
<h2>Starting to reverse the damage</h2>
<p>The Great Barrier Reef and its river catchment are bigger than Italy. With problems going back over 100 years, A$90 million is not going to fix all of the problems, but it can start to significantly reverse the damage.</p>
<p>The Queensland government has committed to ambitious water quality targets adopted in the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan</a> — for instance, reducing nitrogen runoff by 80% and sediment by 50% across the key catchments of the Wet Tropics and the Burdekin by 2025. As many have noted, these targets will not be achieved under current practice — even if farmers fully adopt best management practices — and the taskforce report agrees. </p>
<p>Angry voices on soapboxes won’t solve this monumental challenge. That will only come about through inclusive and considered processes — it needs a long-term, sustained and coordinated reef-wide strategy. </p>
<p>We must redefine how we manage — and therefore resource — the Great Barrier Reef system, from the ecosystems that thrive in it to the industries and communities that depend on it for the long term. That strategy should coordinate all existing but separate approaches. </p>
<h2>We’ve been here before</h2>
<p>Fortunately — or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it — Australia has been here before with a complex environmental problem that crosses multiple borders. Particularly in the past 15 years, state and federal governments have attempted to undo a century of mismanagement in the <a href="http://www.mdba.gov.au/publications/mdba-reports/murray%E2%80%93darling-basin-water-reforms-framework-evaluating-progress">Murray-Darling Basin</a>.</p>
<p>Although water quantity is the issue in the basin, as opposed to water quality in the Great Barrier Reef, there are similarities. </p>
<p>The two systems are a similar size — the Murray-Darling Basin covers a million square kilometres, and the Great Barrier Reef half-a-million sq km. In both cases, productive industries such as farming cotton or cane closely interact with valuable ecological systems. Overall, they produce billions of dollars of annual revenue from food production, tourism and other industries. </p>
<p>In each case, international pressure (the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands/ramsar">RAMSAR</a> convention on wetlands in the Murray-Darling, <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/154">UNESCO</a> for the reef) have played very significant roles in encouraging responsible actions from Australia.</p>
<p>Billions of dollars have been spent on the Murray-Darling — and similar investment is probably required for the Great Barrier Reef catchments. While action within the Murray-Darling system hasn’t been (and still isn’t) perfect, we can learn much from the experience. </p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>In our opinion, and drawing on the experiences in the Murray-Darling, the following principles should be core to any strategy for the reef.</p>
<p>First, recognise that a significant shift is required in how we manage and develop land next to the Great Barrier Reef. While this is politically, economically and socially difficult, the fallout will be greater if we don’t get this right. </p>
<p>Farmers must be enabled and supported to care for the land to deliver both economic outcomes and ecosystem services. They are the stewards of our natural capital as well as key contributors to our economy. </p>
<p>We’ll also need to take a small proportion of land out of production to form riparian strips, and incentives will need to be established to ensure the careful use of fertiliser, better use of cover crops, and the like. Again, these initiatives are occurring now, but we need to adopt a whole-of-system approach that corrals these actions into a coherent strategy. </p>
<p>The efficiencies introduced through the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/water/australian-government-water-leadership/nwi">National Water Initiative</a> and later the <a href="https://theconversation.com/finally-murray-darling-basin-plan-signed-into-law-10939">Murray-Darling Basin Plan</a> did achieve such a shift there. </p>
<p>Second, acknowledge that nothing we do to address water quality issues makes sense if we don’t also address climate change as a major source of the problem. Any strategy to protect the reef has to include meaningful action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and vice versa. Solving the climate issue only to let the reef down on the water quality issue doesn’t make any sense either.</p>
<p>Third, full and enduring cooperation and coordination between the Commonwealth and Queensland governments are essential. Anything else risks duplication, redundancy, confusion and, more than likely, a monumental waste of money. </p>
<p>The political heat in the lead-up to the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/water/australian-government-water-leadership/nwi">National Water Initiative</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/finally-murray-darling-basin-plan-signed-into-law-10939">Murray-Darling Basin Plan</a> and the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/water/australian-government-water-leadership/water-legislation/key-features-water-act-2007">2007 Water Act</a> served only to diminish the opportunities for a lasting and meaningful solution to excessive water allocation in the basin.</p>
<p>Fourth, in support of the cooperative federalist approach, a statutory authority that oversees the implementation of the strategy — with appropriate financial incentives and regulatory powers — will be necessary. This authority would operate across Queensland river catchment and estuarine regions. We would argue that this should be a separate entity to GBRMPA, which already has its hands full managing the reef.</p>
<p>One of the successes from efforts in water reform was the National Water Commission, which played a crucial role in the implementation of the National Water Initiative. Its subsequent demise was regrettable. </p>
<p>Fifth, well-designed, market-based mechanisms work. Just as some efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are cheaper than others, we need to know which measures that reduce water quality are most cost-effective. If designed correctly, these mechanisms have the potential to drive innovation and game-changing ideas. </p>
<p>A water quality “trading scheme” should be explored. If done properly, such a market could prove to be enormously beneficial to farmers as well as the reef. </p>
<p>Finally, make sure the strategy has the resources to get the job done. While throwing money at the problem won’t solve it on its own (the billions spent in the Murray-Darling Basin proved that), the challenge will demand significant resources over the coming decade. </p>
<p>Such finance need not come from governments alone. If the principles above are implemented in a way that provides transparency and certainty to the market, then the private sector may be able to contribute.</p>
<p>These are the first steps of a journey that is critical for the long-term survival of the Great Barrier Reef. As the taskforce stresses, this is a journey that will require clever policy that adapts to a dynamic world. </p>
<p>The reforms to address the problems of the Murray-Darling Basin were triggered by the Millennium Drought. The recent coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef should inspire the same urgency. </p>
<p>And, if so, let’s hope that we are now truly on a pathway to a future for the Great Barrier Reef where its people, industries and ecosystems thrive into the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59827/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Hussey receives funding from the Commonwealth Government and the Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with WWF Australia and the TJ Ryan Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Hoegh-Guldberg undertakes research on coral reef ecosystems and their response to rapid environmental change, which is supported primarily by the Australian Research Council (Canberra), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Washington, D.C.), Catlin Group (London), and Great Barrier Reef Foundation (Brisbane). He is a member of the Great Barrier Reef Water Science Taskforce. He did not receive salary for writing this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robin Smale is director of Vivid Economics. Vivid Economics is contracted to the Commonwealth Department of the Environment examining financing of conservation projects on the Great Barrier Reef, and has had previous contracts with Commonwealth Government and Government of New South Wales.</span></em></p>Efforts to combat water pollution on the Great Barrier Reef aren't working, according to a new government report.Karen Hussey, Deputy Director, Global Change Institute, The University of QueenslandOve Hoegh-Guldberg, Director, Global Change Institute, The University of QueenslandRobin Smale, Visiting fellow, Global Change Institute, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/593812016-05-18T19:46:03Z2016-05-18T19:46:03ZThis election is our last chance to save the Great Barrier Reef<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122965/original/image-20160518-9491-136k2ug.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Great Barrier Reef&#39;s health has declined in recent years</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Reef image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Great Barrier Reef has been in the spotlight thanks to <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/coral-bleaching">severe coral bleaching</a> since March, leaving only 7% of the reef untouched. The bleaching, driven by record-breaking sea temperatures, has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/great-barrier-reef-bleaching-would-be-almost-impossible-without-climate-change-58408">linked to human-caused climate change</a>. </p>
<p>Apart from bleaching, the reef is in serious trouble thanks to <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/great-barrier-reef-threats-series">a variety of threats</a>. <a href="https://research.jcu.edu.au/tropwater/resources/Brodie%20and%20Waterhouse%202012%20a%20critical%20review.pdf">Many species and ecosystems</a> of the Great Barrier Reef are in <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/cdn/2014/GBRMPA-Outlook-Report-2014/">serious decline</a>. </p>
<p>It is now overwhelmingly clear that we need to fix these problems to give the reef the best chance in a warming world. In fact, the upcoming election is arguably our last chance to put in place a plan that will save the reef. </p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">recent paper</a>, we estimate that we need to spend A$10 billion over the next ten years - about five times as much as <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/protecting-the-reef">current state and federal governments are spending</a> – to fix up reef water quality before climate change impacts overwhelm it. </p>
<h2>Stop water pollution</h2>
<p>Poor water quality is one of the major threats to the Great Barrier Reef. Sediment and nutrients (such as nitrogen) washed by rivers onto the reef cause waters to become turbid, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416300634">shutting out light for corals and seagrass</a>. It can also encourage algal growth and outbreaks of coral-eating <a href="https://theconversation.com/great-barrier-reef-dying-beneath-its-crown-of-thorns-6383">crown-of-thorns starfish</a>. </p>
<p>The Queensland and Australian governments have made <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/d98b3e53-146b-4b9c-a84a-2a22454b9a83/files/reef-2050-long-term-sustainability-plan.pdf">plans with targets to improve water quality</a>, but the main plan - the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/reef-2050-long-term-sustainability-plan">Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan</a> – is completely inadequate according to the <a href="https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/science-policy/position-statements/reef-2050-long-term">Australian Academy of Science</a>. Its targets are <a href="https://theconversation.com/current-management-is-not-enough-to-halt-pollution-on-the-great-barrier-reef-49055">unlikely to be met</a>. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/great-barrier-reef-pollution-controls-are-not-enough-heres-what-we-can-do-52861">others</a> have suggested <a href="https://theconversation.com/current-management-is-not-enough-to-halt-pollution-on-the-great-barrier-reef-49055">ways to improve water quality</a> on the Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>To provide resilience for the Great Barrier Reef against the current and rapidly increasing climate impacts, water quality management needs to be greatly improved by 2025 to meet the targets and <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/4526/GBRMPA_WQualityGuidelinesGBRMP_RevEdition_2010.pdf">guidelines</a>. 2025 is important as it’s likely that climate change effects will be overwhelming after that date. It is also the target date for the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan. </p>
<h2>What needs to be done</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=848&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=848&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=848&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1066&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1066&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/122656/original/image-20160516-11090-19sohox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1066&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Proposed boundaries of the Greater GBR. The area inside the red line is the GBR World Heritage Area and the shaded area is the proposed Greater GBR management area, including the GBR catchment, the GBRWHA, Torres Strait and Hervey Bay.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">J Waterhouse, TropWATER. Data for the GBR provided by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771416301469">recent article</a>, we analysed what we need to do to respond to the current crisis, especially for water quality.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Refocus management to the “Greater Great Barrier Reef (GBR)” – that is, include management of Torres Strait, Hervey Bay and river catchments that run into the reef as priorities along with the world heritage area. This area is shown in figure above.</p></li>
<li><p>Prioritise management for ecosystems in relatively good condition, such Torres Strait, northern Cape York and Hervey Bay which have the highest current integrity. These areas should still be prioritised despite the recent severe bleaching in the northern Great Barrier Reef.</p></li>
<li><p>Investigate methods of cross-boundary management to achieve simultaneous cost-effective terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystem protection in the Greater GBR.</p></li>
<li><p>Develop a detailed, comprehensive, costed water quality management plan for the Greater GBR. In the period 2009-16, more than A$500 million was spent on water quality management (with some success) without a robust comprehensive plan to ensure the most effective use of the funding.</p></li>
<li><p>Use existing federal legislation (the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act) to regulate catchment activities that lead to damage to the Greater GBR, together with the relevant Queensland legislation. These rules were established long ago and are immediately available to tackle terrestrial pollutant discharge.</p></li>
<li><p>Fund catchment and coastal management to the required level to largely solve the pollution issues for the Greater GBR by 2025, to provide resilience for the system in the face of accelerating climate change impacts. The funding required is large – of the order of A$1 billion per year over the next ten years but small by comparison to the worth of the Great Barrier Reef – estimated to be of the order of <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041614001077">A$20 billion per year</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Continue enforcement of the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982215001372">zoning plan</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Show commitment to protecting the Greater GBR through greenhouse gas emissions control, of a scale to be relevant to protecting the reef (for example those proposed by the <a href="https://www.scribd.com/doc/209541964/Targets-and-Progress-Review-Final-Report-Recommendations">Climate Change Authority</a>), by 2025.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Unless immediate action is taken to improve water quality, the onset of accelerating climate change impacts mean there is little chance the current decline in reef health can be prevented.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/59381/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Brodie has received funding over the last two years from the Australian Government, the Queensland Government, Natural Resource Management groups, WWF, UNEP, Melbourne Water, NSW EPA. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Pearson has in the past received funding from the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council and the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility. He is a member of ACF.</span></em></p>The Great Barrier Reef is in trouble, and the upcoming election is our last chance to lock in plans to save it.Jon Brodie, Chief Research Scientist, Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook UniversityRichard Pearson, Emeritus Professor, College of Marine & Environmental Sciences, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/558282016-04-03T20:11:12Z2016-04-03T20:11:12ZBanning fishing has helped parts of the Great Barrier Reef recover from damage<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117044/original/image-20160401-31093-y02ck4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pristine coral on the Great Barrier Reef.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.tethys-images.com">Photo copyright Tom Bridge</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The world’s coral reefs face unprecedented threats. Their survival depends on how well they can cope with a long list of pressures including fishing, storms, coral bleaching, outbreaks of coral predators and reduced water quality. Together, these disturbances have caused the Great Barrier Reef to <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/109/44/17995.short">lose half of its coral cover</a> since 1985.</p>
<p>One often-used way of protecting marine ecosystems is to close parts of the ocean to fishing, in no-take marine reserves. From research, we know that by reducing fishing you end up with <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v520/n7547/full/nature14358.html">more and bigger fish</a> (and other harvested species such as lobsters).</p>
<p>But other benefits of protection might be more surprising. In a <a href="http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/ele.12598">new study</a>, we show that no-take reserves helped the Great Barrier Reef’s corals to resist a range of disturbances, such as bleaching, disease and crown-of-thorns starfish, and to recover more quickly from damage. </p>
<h2>More exposure, but better protection</h2>
<p>Our study used observations between 1993 and 2013 of 34 types of coral and invertebrates and 215 fish species on 46 reefs spread across the Great Barrier Reef. Among the 46 study reefs, 26 were open to fishing and 20 were in no-take marine reserves. </p>
<p>During the study period, several occurrences of coral bleaching, coral disease, storms and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish were recorded.</p>
<p>The total number of disturbances affecting our study reefs increased in recent years (2010-12), mostly due to severe storms affecting the central and southern sections of the Great Barrier Reef. Among our study reefs, those located inside no-take marine reserves were more exposed to disturbance than those outside no-take marine reserves.</p>
<p>Our study showed that, inside no-take marine reserves, the impact of disturbance was reduced by 38% for fish and by 25% for corals compared with unprotected reefs. This means that no-take marine reserves benefit not only fish but entire reef communities, including corals, and might help to slow down the rapid degradation of coral reefs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=399&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=501&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=501&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117045/original/image-20160401-28451-1uaq0z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=501&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Damaged coral reef around Lizard Island a few days after cyclone Ita.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Tom Bridge, www.tethys-images.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Faster recovery</h2>
<p>In addition to greater resistance, reef organisms recovered more quickly from disturbance inside no-take marine reserves. After each disturbance, we measured the time that both coral and fish communities took to return to their pre-disturbance state. </p>
<p>We found coral communities took the longest to recover after crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks. Outside no-take marine reserves, it took on average nine years for these communities to recover. It took just over six years inside no-take marine reserves. </p>
<p>Although there is more work to be done, one reason that reefs inside no-take zones are able to cope better with disturbances is that they preserve and promote a wider range of important ecological functions. Where fishing reduces the numbers of some species outside protected areas, some of these functions could be lost.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/117043/original/image-20160401-28436-17xwpbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coral reef showing signs of recovery.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo copyright Tom Bridge/www.tethys-images.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Knowledge for conservation</h2>
<p>Marine reserves (including no-take zones) currently cover 3.4% of the world’s ocean, which is still well below the 10% target for 2020 recommended by the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/">Convention on Biological Diversity</a>. The slow progress towards this target is partly due to the perceived high costs of protection compared to true ecological benefits, which can be difficult to gauge. While some surprising benefits are beginning to be revealed in studies like ours, such benefits remain little understood. </p>
<p>Our results help to fill that gap by showing that no-take marine reserves can boost both the resistance and recovery of reef communities following disturbance. In ecology, resistance plus recovery equals resilience. </p>
<p>Our work suggests that the net benefit of no-take marine reserves is much greater than previously thought. No-take marine reserves host not only more and bigger fishes, but more resilient communities that might decline at slower rates.</p>
<p>These results reinforce the idea that no-take marine reserves should be widely implemented and supported as a means of maintaining the integrity of coral reefs globally. </p>
<p>Our conclusions also demonstrate that we need long-term monitoring programs which provide a unique opportunity to assess the sustained benefits of protection.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55828/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Camille Mellin was funded by an Australian Research Council grant (DE140100701).
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aaron MacNeil receives funding from the Australian government. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julian Caley receives funding from the Australian Department of the Environment and the Australian Institute of Marine Science</span></em></p>Banning fishing helps fish, but it also helps reef recover from cyclones, disease, and coral bleaching.Camille Mellin, Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine ScienceAaron MacNeil, Senior Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine ScienceJulian Caley, Senior Principal Research Scientist, Australian Institute of Marine ScienceLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.